Tag: Truth

Mountain valley covered in morning mist with sun rising over distant peaks
Posted in Bible study, Christ is All I Need, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Confident Hope

Posted on by MaryEllen

 We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God’s people, 5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

Colossians 1:3-5 (SOAP verse 5)

Friends, I am borrowing from the LGG Study Journal again today – partly because I am having computer problems and having to use my iPad to post this, but also because I was out later than expected tonight helping Abi with her classroom.

Today’s focal point is verse five, and it is one of the key verses of the entire book. A reminder for us that it’s not just important to have faith – we must be confident in our faith – the belief in the truth that God has promised us a home in heaven with Him … not because our parents believed, or because “we worked for it or earned it, or ever could,” but solely because of God’s amazing grace.

Consider these words from the LGG team:

Do you often think of the hope lad up for you in heaven? The hope that one day, you will be totally healed and perfected, forever filled with indescribable joy? That all your tears will be wiped away, and nobody will ever cause you grief again? That you will finally see the loving face of Jesus?

Note how this hope came to us: Through the gospel. We didn’t work for it, and we don’t deserve it. But God gave us hope simply because we heard the message of truth and believed it. The gospel is the message that Jesus died and rose again three days later to forgive us of all our sins. It is a gift of grace through faith. God has subsequently prepared a place in heaven for those who trust in His Son.

Our hope as Christians is based only on God’s grace. Because it’s not based on our performance, it is firm. It is not a case of “I hope I’ll make it to heaven somehow.” Instead, we can proclaim, “I know I’ll make it to heaven because of what Jesus has done for me.”

Have you ever heard the phrase that some people are so heavenly minded that they are of no earthly good? Clearly this is not the teaching of the Bible. Right here, Paul is saying that the hope of heaven actually gives rise to love and encourages us to live faithfully and missionally here on earth. Real heavenly mindedness will make us more loving, less self-centered, less fearful, and less greedy.

Jesus Himself promised that whatever it may cost us now to serve and love others, our reward in heaven makes these sacrifices more than worthwhile.

Lord Jesus, please open the eyes of my heart so that I can see more clearly the glorious future that awaits me. – Amen.

Reflection and Application:

What about you? Is your faith confident or shakable? Is it based on the truth of the Gospel that you have heard or is it in the church…the people…your family…your good works??? Take some time and consider these questions and examine your faith.

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Prayer Starters, Uncategorized

Worry Doesn’t Help

Posted on by MaryEllen

Full disclosure

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Matthew 6:26-27

Years, probably more like decades ago, I remember a little ditty/chorus that turned into the catch-phrase of the day. I’m guessing you’ll remember it too:

“Don’t worry, be happy ~ put a smile on your face ~ don’t worry be happy”

Then the chorus would just repeat itself … or so I thought. However, when it came to my mind today after I read today’s verse, I looked it up and learned that there were also three or four verses with the chorus. The premise of every verse is that “In every life we have some trouble ~ but when you worry you make it double.” Then the chorus would repeat… “Don’t worry be happy, don’t worry be happy …. put a smile on your face 🙂 Don’t worry be happy”

As Jesus continued His teaching, known as the Sermon on the Mount, He not only continued His instruction on not being anxious, but He posed the question, “Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” He uses an example that most, if not all, of His audience can relate to, pointing out that if God takes care of the birds, “how much more attention/care will He give to His children”?

The book, “God Shots” states that, “We’re given to anxiety when we forget that God is attentive and active in our lives, so Jesus again makes the point that He doesn’t want them to be anxious.” So important is this lesson of “not being anxious”, that my little “God Shots” book points out the warning/instruction is given “366 times in Scripture God tells His children not to be afraid.” He says it over and over but only to His children, which the book suggests is, because He wants them to know that He is will take care of them.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Friend, let me ask you a question the book poses, “Is your heart at peace right now? Or does it need to remember the goodness of your Father’s attentive love? if you’re feeling anxious , be on the lookout today for all the ways your Father has provided and is providing.” Write them down, thank Him for these reminders and keep a running list for all the times ahead when anxious thoughts fill your mind. Use them to speak truth and calm to your mind – that Your Father who cares for the birds also cares for you – and even more.

Now back to that little song that seems so nonsensical, but oddly enough, when I stopped to consider it aligns quite nicely with the teaching of God’s Word. For Jesus told His disciples that in this world they would have troubles. But He follows that up with the encouragement for them not to lose hope because “He has overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

So, don’t worry – be happy, put a smile on your face 😎

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, Quiet Time, She, Volume 2

The Woman with the Issue of Blood, Part 2

Posted on by MaryEllen

Adapted from: She, Volume 2/pp97-98

Read: Mark 5:25-34

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is God’s power for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16 NET

In our previous post, we explored many Scriptures that spoke about the faith of a woman with a bleeding issue. A faith inspired by hearing about Jesus, the man who had healed many people of their infirmities. So certain was she of what she had heard that when she learned where He was, she placed herself in the midst of the crowd that was following Him and worked her way closer and closer to Him, with the hope of being able to simply touch just the edge of His garment. She believed that even that would be enough for her to be healed – and, as we read in Luke 8:44, it was!

After all the doctors and all the money spent and all of the disappointments and growing problems, she touched the hem of His garment, and she knew immediately that she had been healed.

She came up behind Jesus and touched the edge of his cloak, and at once the bleeding stopped. 

Luke 8:44 NET

Not only did she realize she had been healed, but much to her surprise, and I would imagine (because of the attention it drew to her) some embarrassment, Jesus also knew that someone had touched Him and at their touch power had gone out from Him.

And when the woman saw that she was not hid, she came trembling, and falling down before him, she declared unto him before all the people for what cause she had touched him, and how she was healed immediately.

Luke 8:47 KJV

45 Then Jesus asked, “Who was it who touched me?” When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds are surrounding you and pressing against you!” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I know that power has gone out from me.” 47 When the woman saw that she could not escape notice, she came trembling and fell down before him. In the presence of all the people, she explained why she had touched him and how she had been immediately healed. 48 Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.

Luke 8:45-48 NET

Surely the beauty of this story is that her faith had brought about a miraculous healing, but by following the ‘breadcrumbs’ left by the other writers, we find credible evidence of at least the possibility that through her testimony, others came to Jesus, hoping for the same miraculous touch.

Matthew writes about a time when they had landed in Gennesaret, and “When the people there recognized Jesus, they sent word into all the surrounding area, and they brought all their sick to him. They begged him if they could only touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” Some commentators speculate that the people may have requested this particular method of healing because they had heard the woman’s story. Friends, regardless of how they knew to ask to touch the hem of His garment, they knew. Regardless of how the woman with the issue of blood had heard enough about Jesus to place her faith in His power, she had heard and believed. The truth and the lesson we must not let pass us by is that it is important to tell others about Jesus. Yes, this means sharing the Gospel, but it also means sharing what He has done in your life, or what you have seen Him do in the lives of others. It’s about sharing the good news that our God changes lives when we call out to Him (or, as in the case of the woman today, reach out to Him) in faith.

Consider this:

Someone told you of your need for Jesus. where would you be if they chose not to share the Good News with you?

She, Volume 2/p98
Reflection and Application
  • Who told you about Jesus?
    • Thank them today.
  • Let’s commit to asking God daily to:
    • show us someone who needs to hear the good news about Jesus
    • help us see them
    • give us courage to stop and share Jesus with them
    • prepare their hearts to receive the message and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
The More We Know

Dear reader, if you do not know Jesus… if you have never put your faith in Him, I invite you to explore “Know These Truths,” where you will discover the Way to everlasting life and an indescribable joy. It is available to all who believe. There is no greater hope for me concerning this website than for God to use it to lead others to Jesus, His only begotten Son, who came to earth so that you might enjoy everlasting life.

Know These Truths
Posted in Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time, Secure In Christ

Live the New Life

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based on Love God Greatly’s study, Secure in Christ/w4d4

Read: Ephesians 4:17-24; SOAP: verse 24

So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. 19 Because they are callous, they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not learn about Christ like this, 21 if indeed you heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught with reference to your former way of life to lay aside the old man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, 23 to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image—in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth.

Ephesians 4:17-24

After telling the believers in Ephesus to practice, or live out and speak the truth to one another in love, and to use their gifts to build up the body of Christ (Eph. 4:14-16), Paul continues with his instructions/teaching. He insists that they quit living like they did before they came to know God through Christ. He paints a vivid picture of what they used to live like and then strongly encourages them to live like the new person Christ created them to be.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!🦋

2 Cor 5:17

Paul has been with these believers for nearly three years, so he knows they have been taught the “truth” of Christian living. He knows they understand what it means to follow Jesus. They know that the followers of Jesus are to turn from their selfish ways and take up their cross daily to follow Him. They know they are not to hang on to their old life but to give it up for the new life Christ has called them to. Paul wrote to the church of Rome, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:1-2). Similarly, here, he reminds the Ephesians to be renewed in the spirit of their minds and to put on the new man who has been created in God’s image. In other words, they (and thus all believers) are to live and love like Jesus, not the world. Specifically, their lives are to be characterized by righteous and holy living that comes from the truth.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

John 14:6

Friends, to live this new life as it is meant to be lived, we can not hold on to even a smidgen of our life before Christ. I tried that for years. In one ‘crowd’ I was the new, and in another ‘crowd’ I was the old. Sometimes, it was because I didn’t want to give up some of my old ways of life and/or desires; but other times it was because I didn’t want to be left out, and for a period of time it was because I was angry with God. Thankfully, He did not leave me but pursued me and rescued me from that double life to a life that is fully surrendered to Him. When I think of these scenarios and that season of my life, and how I allowed myself to chase after or get caught up with the ‘little gods’ of my life, I am reminded of some of the words He used to transform me. They were the words of Joshua to the people of God, when he said: “Choose you this day whom you will serve…but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15).

Today’s Reflection

Who have you chosen to serve? The true and living God or the gods…the people…the desires of this world? Does your life look like the new creation Christ created you to be – or the old? Tough questions, but ones worth asking and praying over.

The More We Know
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Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

The Proof is in the Living

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w4d2

Read James 1:22-25 and SOAP: James 1:22

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:22-25

Our works do not save us, but they do bear witness to our salvation through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

If you know me or have followed my posts, you most likely know that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of my key life verses.

So 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

The truth of Paul’s words rocked my world many years ago and continues to push me to live as a new creation and not the old. For, as Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, we have been created in God’s image–in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. What a beautiful reminder of the need and reason for believers to abide in Jesus (the Way, Truth, and Life) – for how can we be like one we do not know or spend time with?

Today’s journal entry in Abiding in Jesus, by Love God Greatly, explains it like this: “When we become Christians, we are given a new nature, a new birth. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He is the sap flowing from the vine into the branches, producing a godly character. That is why when we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit.”

James reminds us that becoming a Christian is only the beginning. The real proof of a person having been born again is that he or she will now ‘live out the message.'”

Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy redemption,
Didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Living for Jesus, Author: Thomas O. Chisholm (1917)

Of course, “Living for Jesus” comes with challenges that we all struggle with. As the Love God Greatly entry points out, “The walk of a Christian is not an uninterrupted series of victories over sin. We often stumble and fail. Sometimes it looks like we are going two steps forward and three steps backward. But if we belong to Jesus, we will have victories over sin again and again. We will be different from the way we used to be. We will steadily grow in holiness and godly character. We have a living faith, not a dead, fake one. We are a living branch, abiding in the Vine and producing good fruit. The Father will make sure His children walk in His ways, to prove that we really belong to Him. We know these works do not justify us, but they are the proof of our having been made new in Jesus.”

Friends, my prayer is that God will help us to be more than spectators or listeners of His Word. May we have the courage and faithful commitment to abide in Jesus, the Living Word, and to live it out every day. May we be always mindful that while our works do not save us, they glorify God in Heaven and give evidence that we have been made new through Jesus Christ. To God be all the glory, praise, and honor. Amen and Amen!

The More We Know

If you do not know Jesus, I invite you to read the truths about who He is and what He has done for you.

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Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Fruitful Abiding

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus,w2d2

Read: John 15:5; SOAP: John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.

John 15:5 NET

If you had to do a double-take to make sure you weren’t rereading the previous post, rest assured, you’re not. It is, however, quite similar. It actually appears that Jesus was recapping His previous statements. Repetition in Scripture is quite common and is meant to get our attention. In verses 1-4 of John 15, Jesus has made numerous references to Himself as the vine and has clarified several times that the disciples are the branches, as well as the role and importance of abiding. Bearing fruit is also mentioned five times, emphasizing the role of the branch. What we see from all the repetition is that Jesus wants His disciples to understand the importance that He and the Father play in the life of a disciple, and to know that while bearing fruit is the goal for every believer, they cannot accomplish this without the Vine and the Gardener.

 “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. 2 He takes away every branch that does not bear fruit in me. He prunes every branch that bears fruit so that it will bear more fruit. 3 You are clean already because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing.

John 15:1-5

While some may be overwhelmed at the thought of having to bear “much” fruit, they should find hope and encouragement that they do not have to do it alone. Still others, the “I can do this myself” person, may see it as a personal challenge and plow ahead, determined to get it done, yet find it discouraging when they yield no fruit in their own strength. This is because abiding is the key. As today’s LGG Journal entry points out, we must “remember our role. We are branches, not the Vine. When we’re weak, He is strong, and it’s perfectly okay” (and necessary) “to lean into that truth. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. When we abide in Him, He does the heavy lifting.”

Because I am at a place in my life where the simplest of tasks can, at times, seem overwhelming, knowing that I do not have to “bear much fruit” by myself comes as great encouragement. However, this does not mean I can sit idly by. I must faithfully live in Christ. This means that I must daily depend on Jesus through faith and prayer. When a believer lives like this, they draw nourishment from the Vine and tender care from the Gardener, which produces more and more fruit from the branch.

Friends, may we not strive in our own strength but stay connected to the Vine and yielded to the Gardener, so that we bear much fruit and draw others to Him.

Reflection Question: In what areas of your life do you feel pressure to produce or make things happen on your own? How might focusing on abiding in Jesus, rather than striving, help you bear fruit in a way that brings peace and joy?

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, For Such A Time As This, From the Insideout, God is good, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Quiet Time

Blessing of Promise and Hope

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From the LGG Journal, For Such A Time As This, p148

Read: Esther 6:12-14 and SOAP: Genesis 12:3.

I Will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.

Genesis 12:3

What joy and encouragement it is to know that we share in God’s blessing of promise and hope that He spoke to Abram so long ago. In all the chaos, pain, and suffering of this world may we never lose sight of the One to whom we belong. May we rest in the truth that He is faithful and trustworthy, and that His love never fails. And may we live lives that make these truths known to others – that they may also share in the blessing God spoke to Abraham.

Do you know the God of Abraham? Check out the truths that can make you part of the family of God. It would be my greatest pleasure to introduce you to Him. Click on the link below.
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Posted in Bible study, Devotion, For Such A Time As This, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Truth & Love Go Hand-in-Hand

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From the Journal of: For Such A Time As This / w4d4, p131

READ: Esther 6:1-6 and SOAP: Proverbs 16:13

The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;
    he loves those who speak honestly.

Proverbs 16:13
The More We Know

What does it mean to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15)?

Posted in Bible study, Devotion, For Such A Time As This, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Quiet Time, Wisdom

How We Live …

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Read: Esther 2:1-4 and SOAP: Ephesians 5:15

Therefore, consider carefully how you live – not as unwise but as wise – Ephesians 5:15

Read: Esther 2:1-4 and SOAP: Ephesians 5:15

“For Such A Time As This,” as we will see throughout our journey, applies to Esther in her day and—as we have seen this week—we can learn much from the truths that surround her story. Of course, not in the sense that we live in palaces filled with riches to display or have week-long ‘banquets’ celebrating our wealth and power—but surely we live in a world filled with distractions of other varieties, wrong responses, demanding our own way, and the temptation to follow the world’s ways rather than God’s. Which is why today’s SOAP passage points us to the words of Paul in Ephesians 5:15.

We must carefully consider how we live. Specifically, we are to live as wise and not unwise. This lesson is important and one that will play out throughout the rest of our journey. The question is, how do we do live as wise and not unwise? Today’s journal entry1 has a wonderful answer … May we take it to heart and daily seek God’s help to walk wisely in such a time as this.

  1. LGG Journal, For Such A ime As This, p57 ↩︎
Posted in Bible study, For Such A Time As This, From the Insideout, LGG Study

The Blessing of Godly Counsel

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Read: Esther 1:13-18 and SOAP: Proverbs 14:8

Today’s portion of our journey has been a sweet reminder to be thankful for the wise and godly counsel God has provided for me throughout my life. From parents to grandparents, to Pastors, teachers, and Christian friends, the blessing of godly wisdom/counsel has been readily available. I have sought it often and treasure it greatly. Sadly, this was not the case with King Ahasuerus (or Xerxes, as he was otherwise known). Xerxes had many advisers, but none who would lead him with godly wisdom. Because they were worldly, they imparted worldly wisdom to the king, “which led him down a path of confusion and poor decisions.”1

Even with Godly counsel at my disposal, it is easy to succumb to or even listen to the “voices that are loudest or most convenient. Social media, self-help books, or even well-meaning friends can quickly become our go-to sources for advice.2” However, Scripture tells us to seek God’s will in all we do, not to depend on our own understanding, but let Him show us which way to go. As Proverbs 14:8 points out, to do it any other way is the foolishness of fools. Godly wisdom is rooted in His Word, and His Word will never lead us wrong or fail us.

Who we choose to walk alongside us in these moments makes all the difference. Are we surrounding ourselves with people who point us back to God’s truth! Are they speaking God’s truth into our situations or adding more confusion?

For Such a Time As This, Journal, p49

I ache for those who do not know God and those who have no true concern for His opinion. How sad and dangerous it is for those who do not know what it is like to have faith and confidence in Him and His wisdom and truth. Their concern is with the earthly kingdom and what will please or displease others, or what will get them where they want to go, rather than with what is good and right to do and what leads them where God wants them to go. May we be ready disciples of the Word – ready with an answer for the hope that is in us, ready to point others to God’s truth, which is light and life and peace.

Note: There is more than poor counsel and sorrow in today’s passage. For while we do not see/read His name on the pages of the book of Esther, God was working all things together for the good of His people. Keep your eyes open and jot down glimpses you catch of Him throughout the journey. Training ourselves to do this can make such a difference in our own lives when we are struggling to see or sense His presence. – How have you seen Him working in your life? Do you see Him today?

Prayer

Father, teach us and help us to seek Your wisdom above all when troubles come our way. Thank You for the people You have surrounded me with throughout my life – who belong to You, love You, and have imparted wisdom and counsel from Your Word. Help me to do the same for others – In Jesus’ Name – Amen.

  1. For Such a Time As This Journal, p49 ↩︎
  2. For Such a Time As This Journal, p49 ↩︎
The More We Know

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