My 2012 Theme

Being that you haven't heard from me since before the new year began, I'll have to fill you in on the theme I've designated for myself this year (although I'm positive the Lord had much to do with it). It's going to be DISCIPLINE. That's spiritual discipline I'm talking about. It really began in the fall of last year because of a Bible study I've been going through at church, but I'm finding myself going full force this month as I've begun implementing new habits (and a few old habits that I'd gotten lazy about) into my daily routine that help me spend a lot more time in the Bible throughout the day.

I am so excited about the changes the Lord is making in my heart and my mind because I'm choosing to fill my day with His Word. Today I was thinking it over while I pushed my shopping cart through the grocery store. I realized it feels like I got saved all over again. Now, don't get me wrong. Christians are only born again one time. It's just that there's this fervor that has returned, which I haven't had in quite some time. So I guess what I'm experiencing is revival.

If you had asked me a month ago if I thought I needed to be spiritually revived, I would've told you "no". You see, I have daily devotions. I memorize scripture. I'm faithful at attending church. I pray. I even speak passionately about God's Word and righteous living. Still, I can tell you after looking back, I know there was something missing. I've needed more. I've simply needed to take in more of the Word and meditate on it more, and I've needed a bit of heart stirring, as well. I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will keep fanning that flame.

So if you see a girl out there carrying a big banner over her head that says Got Discipline?, it'll be me. And forgive me if I talk too loudly. I'm like my father in that respect. I get louder when I'm excited.

Words to Live By

I was searching at my favorite Bible tool site the other day for verses dealing with the tongue.  There are many found in Proverbs, but sometimes I just don't quite get the gist of what the proverb is stating.  The language doesn't always make sense to me.

I found some interesting verses in Proverbs 18 and decided to click on the option for comparing other translations.  Although The Message is not a version I use, I must say that reading through the passage made the truths crystal clear.  Some of the verses almost seemed humorous to me.  Check out a few of my favorites...

1 Loners who care only for themselves spit on the common good.

2 Fools care nothing for thoughtful discourse; all they do is run off at the mouth.

4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.

6 The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.

7 Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words.

8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?

13 Answering before listening is both stupid and rude.

17 The first speech in a court case is always convincing - until the cross-examination starts!

21 Words kill, words give life; they're either poison or fruit - you choose.

24 Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family.

--Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved. (The Message)--

Very interesting words to ponder.  Don't you think?

Seeing The Word In Flesh

If you receive updates from Revive Our Hearts on Facebook, then you saw this quote today.  I think it is a beautiful expression of how precious God's Word should be to us and what kind of relationship we can and should have with our Lord Jesus.

“So go on reading it until you can read no longer, and then you will not need the Bible any more, because when your eyes close for the last time in death, and never again read the Word of God in Scripture you will open them to the Word of God in the flesh, that same Jesus of the Bible whom you have known for so long, standing before you to take you for ever to His eternal home.” –Geoffrey Thomas

Will you know Him when you see Him?

A Fresh Look at a Psalm

The memory verse that I need to memorize for this week's First Place study is Psalm 139:13-14. It's a pretty familiar verse to me, as I've read it innumerable times.

When Judy teaches she will sometimes read a verse in the Amplified version to convey the deeper meaning of a scripture, but we often kid about how LONG a scripture is in the AMP. Teasingly, I mentioned that I would memorize all the verses in the AMP from now on, just to be an overachiever.

Seriously, though, I decided it would surely help me grasp the fuller meaning of a scripture, especially if I'm memorizing familiar verses that I might not give much thought to due to their familiarity. So that's what I did.

This week's psalm is amazing. It's long, but its words convey to me so much more than what I read in a King James or New King James Version. I love it!

For you did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb. I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are your works, and that my inner self knows right well.

Nov. 10, Thankful for Bible Study

I am quite blessed in that I have plenty of opportunities to participate in Bible studies through the week. I know it helps me stay focused on spiritual things.

This morning in my quiet time I was in Joshua 23:1-9. Joshua is getting ready to die, and he exhorts Israel one final time to obey God's commands...

Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, and lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause anyone to swear by them; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, but you shall hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have done to this day. (vs. 6-8)

I'm a Christian living in the world amidst darkness, and I have an enemy. Reading, meditating on, and observing to keep the commands of the Lord keeps me from falling to attack and idol worship, and that's why I want to be in Bible study as much as possible. I fall so quickly.

It's Just What I Wanted

My dad is out in California this week for the Shepherd's Conference being held at John MacArthur's church.  Dad goes every year and comes home with a suitcase full of new books, either that he purchases or are given to all the pastors as gifts from the conference.  Of course, he always enjoys rolling his suitcase into the office his first day back to work and showing me all of his new treasures, while I ooh & aaah over the titles.

So I get a call from him today, asking me about the new personal-sized NASB MacArthur Study Bible in leathersoft that I've been interested in purchasing.  They had them for sale at the table at half price, and Dad wanted to know if I would like him to pick one up for me. 

YEEEES!  I definitely want one! 

I don't have a NASB yet, but I've been reading some scripture online in that translation and have enjoyed it.  I already own a MacArthur study Bible in NKJV and have used it well.  I thought I would enjoy a different translation and a lighter-weight Bible for carrying to church and Bible studies.

So I'll be getting one of these pretty Bibles when Dad returns.  I can't wait! 

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In His Eyes, I'm Perfect

In my commitment to be a more avid reader of theological books this year, I have been engrossed in some pretty good books since January.  Currently, I'm in the middle of Because He Loves Me by Elyse Fitzpatrick, and it is yet another excellent recommendation, which will be appearing over in my sidebar list of completed books in a few days.

Somehow my passion for what I read gets a bit lost in the translation, though, so I rarely write a book review.  It seems I lack brevity and conciseness, which is really the point of a book review.

So for now I'd just like to share with you my favorite part of the book, the part I keep going back to over and over again.  Mrs. Fitzpatrick blew me away with the truth she shared, and I can hardly believe that it's true. 

In chapter 4 she talks about our justification in Christ and proceeds to explain what that means.  She says that our sin slate has been wiped clean.  Now quoting from the book:

...Jesus' perfect record has become ours.  Because God has accredited or imputed Jesus' perfect obedience to you, when God looks upon you, he sees you as a  person who

• always does the things that are pleasing to him;
• is so focused on accomplishing his will and work that doing so is your daily food;
• doesn't seek your own will but seeks his will instead;
• doesn't seek to receive glory (praise, respect, worship) from others;
• has always kept all his commandments;
• lives in such a way that your life brings holiness to others;
• loves others and lays down your life on a consistent basis;
• lives in such a way that the people around you know that you love your heavenly Father more than anything else;
• seeks to obey every command so that righteousness will be fulfilled.

In God's opinion (the only one that matters!) that's your record today. 

(Elyse Fitzpatrick, Because He Loves Me, "The Verdict" pg. 72-73)

Is that not the most incredible thing a Christian can hear?  Are you as blown away by these statements as I am?  I'm nothing like this list describes, but God looks at me and sees Jesus instead.  I'm no longer under condemnation.  I'm justified.  And knowing that's how He sees me somehow makes me want to live like that even more.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  (2 Corinthians 5:21 - NKJV)

Ladies Bible Study

I'm not sure if I've told you before, but I attend a ladies Bible study on Tuesdays.  We have a small group of women who come for prayer and study, and we've been in Revelation.  It's been pretty exciting!

Today the study was different, though.  My friend Judy leads it, but she was sick and couldn't make it.  I don't think that has ever happened before.  When I found out she wasn't going to be well enough to teach, she said I could go ahead and have the group pray as usual and then read some scripture and discuss.

Currently, our church is focusing on the book of Colossians as a daily reading.  So that's what we did in place of a study.  I had no idea what we would talk about, as I had not prepared anything.  All I knew is that we would read the book of Colossians and then discuss the things that grabbed our attention. 

It was a very special time, and we had a terrific discussion.  My favorite section of the book is the passage in Colossians 1:9-12 that says,

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

I like it because Paul says how he has prayed for the church, and this is how I ought to be praying not only for myself, but also for others.  I can be sure I'm praying according to God's will for others because this is what He wants for us:

1.  Be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

2.  Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him.

3.  Be fruitful in every good work

4.  Increase in the knowledge of God.

5.  Be strengthened with all might to be able to experience joy in suffering.

6.  Give thanks in all things because the Father has made us partakers of the inheritance.

We need these things prayed over our lives that we might become mature, and I encouraged the ladies to be praying this way for each other.  No matter what adversity we face, God can always answer this prayer with a resounding YES. 

God Is Near

I've been reading again...that War of Words book I've told you about. You'll be happy to know I finished chapter 5 where I've been for the last month. Something author Tripp wrote has really stuck with me, and I have been thinking about it for days.

We, too, forget the presence of a sovereign God and curse our situation and blame the people around us.... The tough neighbor, demanding boss, touchy relative, controlling friend, unthankful child, and the unexpected accident are all tools of sanctification in the hands of our Lord.... I tend to see them as signs that God has forgotten me rather than sure indications that he is near, carefully controlling things for my good. So I fret and complain instead of resting and worshipping. (War of Words, Paul David Tripp, p. 80)

I tend to see them as signs that God has forgotten me rather than sure indications that he is near... That's the part that really struck me, and I've found it to be a comfort as I meditate on it. I want to choose to believe that when I'm being squeezed by a person's harsh word or an unexpected circumstance, God is near. He has created that trial for me in order to change me, and instead of leaving me, He is ever close. He is near.

Then I was reading in Hebrews 12 the other morning and came to verses 5-6 & 11,

My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.... Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

And there I was reminded that discipline and chastening, which are all part of my sanctification, are a demonstration to me that I am His daughter, that I ought not to despise it or become discouraged. It's going to produce the peaceable fruit of righteousness in me. Peaceable fruit.

So the Hebrews passage took me back to Mr. Tripp's statement again. God is near, especially when I'm tested and tried, disciplined and chastened. He wouldn't leave me if He's in the process of changing me because then He wouldn't be sovereign. Rather, He's carefully controlling things for my good. (Tripp)

Heaven

Following my blog from last night, a quote borrowed from John Piper's God Is The Gospel, I wanted to continue along this thought. Would Heaven be Heaven if Christ were not there? I believe we Christians get so caught up in all the things we are promised are awaiting us in Heaven, that we neglect to remember the One who will be there.

How many times do we think about the streets of gold, the mansion He's preparing, no sickness, no death, no more tears, seeing our loved ones who have passed away, only to neglect the most treasured gift of Heaven? All those things are incredible and and have been promised to us to enjoy, but I believe they are only the fringe benefits.

Seeing Christ in all His glory and being able to embrace my Savior who reconciled me to the Father is what Heaven is. If there were no golden streets, or mansions, or loved ones, it would still be Heaven if it were just me and my Lord.

He is my delight. He is my hope. He is my joy. He is my reward.

Sunday Thoughts

I just want to give you something to think about today. Do you place value in the glory of who Christ is?

The critical question for our generation - and for every generation - is this: If you could have heaven, with no sickness, and with all the friends you ever had on earth, and all the food you ever liked, and all the leisure activities you ever enjoyed, and all the natural beauties you ever saw, all the physical pleasures you ever tasted, and no human conflict or any natural disasters, could you be satisfied with heaven, if Christ were not there?

- John Piper, God is the Gospel

I Need a Little Pick-Me-Up

Do you ever get frustrated with yourself because you just don't know why you think or act the way you do or have fears that just don't make sense? I do. I've been feeling that a lot lately, and I'm starting to realize it's exhausting to be me. No wonder I'm tired all the time.

The frustration comes because I just don't "get" myself. When I reach that point, though, the Lord seems to always bring me back to Psalm 139 and reminds me of His care. Verses 1-6 really speak to my comfort...

O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.

As I look at these truths, the Lord says to me... Liz, I have searched your heart, and I know every intimate detail of your life. I know when you sit and when you get up. I know and understand every single thought that runs through that head of yours. I have already seen and known every place you will go, and I am familiar with and know specifically your quirks, fears, desires, strengths, weaknesses, and everything that makes you uniquely you. I know every single word you will ever speak, both detrimental and edifying. But know that My hand is resting upon you as your Shield and Protector, and you are kept securely.

My response is... How can that be, Lord? Your sovereignty, knowledge, and care are beyond my comprehension. I'm so thankful that even when no one else understands me and I don't even understand myself, You know it all and still love me.

A Special Morning

It's been an interesting day. First Place was a good study time, and it's always nice when the girls share what they're learning. We have a very small class, so it's intimate. I had another weight loss this week, too, which makes it a very good day. Yay!

Afterwards I transitioned to our outreach ministry called Sowers & Reapers. We are in the process of doing neighborhood canvassing just to get the people in our community to think about spiritual matters, but ultimately hoping for the opportunity to share the gospel with anyone who would be open to that. We have a questionairre of 7 questions we try to ask at each home, the last question being a means to cause the person to consider their eternal destiny... If you were to die today and stand before God, and He should ask you 'Why should I let you into My heaven?' what would you say? Often this stumps people. They have no idea how they would answer that.

Today I was teamed up with my dear sister in the Lord, who is an 80-something year old lady. You have to understand that it was freezing temps and snowing, but we were all bundled in gloves, hats, and ear warmers going door to door. We went to 20 houses. And I think she fared better than I did. I was frozen and just kept praying with each house we walked up to that God would give me the strength to continue on in very uncomfortable conditions.

I was so blessed to have her with me. She edified me all the way. She spoke the truth of the Word as we encountered many who did not want to talk and would not even accept our free gift. As we'd leave a house feeling dejected she'd say, The Lord knows all about it. This is not about results. This is about getting the gospel into their home, even if all we give them is our gift packet. I love her. As we continued walking we would talk about the Lord and different scriptures He's been giving us recently. It made me think about Malachi 3:16 where it says,

Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them; So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name.

I love that He writes these moments down in a Book of Remembrance. It means this is precious to Him, so much so that He is recording it for all eternity. Maybe the time we spent today was just for me, my friend, and the Lord and to rejoice in who He is and His faithfulness to us as we pressed on in the cold.

Now that I'm at the end of this post, I realize that it's not even what I had planned on writing about. I guess maybe this was the more special thing on my mind today.

Liz

Brushing Up on Scripture Memorization

Having grown up attending Christian school and church, I've memorized much scripture. The problem is I know a verse here and there but not entire passages. I also must confess that I've let much of my memory verses go, having forgotten them long ago. I know that memorization is important because Psalm 119 says hiding God's Word in our hearts will keep us from sin.

So this year God has impressed upon me the value of scripture memorization, partly due to John Piper's book When I Don't Desire God. He teaches many ways to use God's Word in our fight for joy, and memorization is one of them. He cites another book that gave him a systematic way to memorize entire passages, An Approach to the Extended Memorization of Scripture by Andrew Davis. I started using his memory method, and it has been the most beneficial system I've ever tried. I've never had much difficulty memorizing, but this has been even more effective for me, especially as it pertains to whole chapters and then some. I want to share it with you, in case you might find it helpful. I'll explain it here, but you can also go to the website and read the book. You'll find this information on page 117 of the pdf file in Chapter 8.

The basic plan is to read a verse with the reference 10 times, then recite the verse 10 times. The next day you recite that same verse. Then you read the next verse 10 times and recite it 10 times. The following day you recite both verses. Then you read the new verse 10 times and recite it 10 times. You just keep adding a verse a day and recite all the previous days' verses together.

I've personally been working on the entire chapter of Romans 8. Today I am through verse 31. It just blew my mind this morning when I realized I have memorized 31 verses. THIRTY-ONE! Mind you, I don't have all of them perfect yet, but it will come. It is okay to look at the verse when you hit a snag. Eventually, it comes.

I believe it's biblical to pray over your memory work. Ask the Lord to use His Word to work whatever He wants to accomplish in your life. It's amazing the new meat you will find as you meditate on His Word in this manner. You'll see things that you haven't seen before, and then when you are sitting under preaching and teaching, you'll find many things that relate back to that memorized passage.

A Day of Study

Since my friend is out of town who usually leads ladies Bible study on Tuesday, I have the privilege of leading it next week. Usually I do a book study, typically from my favorite preacher John Piper. This week I felt led to leave that book and do a study on Psalm 27 because it's special to me. There's a lot there that I think we miss if we just read over it and not understand it's deeper spiritual meaning.

So I've been studying this morning. From scratch. I am creating my own questions and reading over various commentaries... whew, it's tough. It's been really productive, though. I am enjoying the things I've already learned that go a little more beneath the surface stuff than I had already seen in months of meditating on it by myself.

One of the first observations that finally clicked in for me is the pattern that is laid out for being victorious in trial. First David preaches to himself. Then he prays for help to maintain his faith. Then this results in hope as he trusts the Lord and waits on Him. In all the times I've read Psalm 27, I never saw that progression before.

Maybe I'll share the rest in an upcoming blog another day. Only after the study on Tuesday is finished, of course. I can't be giving away any of the answers. :)

I better get back to the books now.

My Favorite Psalm

I love Psalm 27. It's probably my favorite. I was reading it again this morning, wondering when I will ever learn to abide in the safety of God's tabernacle, His presence, where true joy, contentment, and peace remain. I want to dwell there constantly, not sporadically. As I'm getting ready to prepare a Bible study for Tuesday, I sensed that this Psalm is what the Lord was laying on my heart to teach. I've gathered materials today to begin studying. I'm excited about what the Lord will teach me and what I'll get to share with the ladies.

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When the wicked came against me To eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.

3 Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war should rise against me, In this I will be confident.

4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.

5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.

6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me.

8 When You said, "Seek My face," My heart said to You, "Your face, Lord, I will seek."

9 Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me, O God of my salvation.

10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

11 Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies.

12 Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence.

13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!