Blog Archives

3 Things the Bible Doesn’t Say About Quiet Time

9/30/2022

From my earliest memories of growing up in the church, I remember that having a personal quiet time was strongly emphasized. Because of this and my desire to be a “good Christian,” I believed a daily quiet time was at the top of my checklist of how to please the Lord. However, more often than not I found myself failing in this area. Truth be told, I still do at times.

There are definitely seasons where I am committed and consistent in personal Bible study. And then, some subtle shift or change takes place, and months later I wake to wonder where my desire and resolve have gone.

I don’t believe I am alone in this. We all go through periods like this. It’s no wonder that so many believers are left feeling like failures in this area. Of course, we ought to take time to reflect on our priorities and possible idols when we find ourselves in such patterns.

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Sweeter Than Honey: Fasting and Praying for Protection

9/27/2022

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Ezra is making his way from captivity in #Babylon, with a group of returning exiles, back to #Jerusalem. It took #Ezra and the caravan he was traveling with four months to traverse the nearly 900 miles. Before their #journey, Ezra leads the group of returning exiles in fasting and #praying. Ezra not only proclaims a time of #fasting and praying, but he also leads the people in humbling themselves before God as they seek safety for their long journey. #Biblestudy #devotional #goodreads #amreading

From the Old Testament to the New, the eternality of God's Word is clearly proclaimed:

Job tells us, “I have treasured the Words of His mouth more than my portion of food” (Job 23:12).

Isaiah reminds us that, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of our God endures forever” (Isaiah 40:8).

And Matthew records Jesus saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

God's Word is like an eternal Love Letter to us!

Have you ever received a love letter, friend? Did you read it? Did you read it just once, or did you read it over and over again? A Love Letter is a treasure when you love the One who sent it!

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The Ultimate Example of Service

9/23/2022

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Jesus wants us to follow His example by #serving even the hardest or “dirtiest feet” among us with humility motivated by love. We find the ultimate example of what #Christ did in John 13. Also, the Lord knew what Judas was and what he would do, but He still served him anyway. Maybe there’s a difficult person who lives near you or who always wants your attention at church or in the workplace. How can we follow Jesus' example TODAY? Don’t let the “dirt” scare you away! #Serve others as #Jesus did!

As summer comes to a close, I am enjoying spending these days in the States where it is a bit warmer than I am used to in England. I get to wear my flip-flops and sandals just a little longer over here in the warmer weather. The only problem with wearing sandals is that my feet tend to not stay clean very long.

On a recent trip to the beach, I was majorly bothered by the sand that finds its way into EVERYTHING including inside my sandals and all over my feet. It took much effort to clean all that sand and dirt off my feet at the bathhouse near the beach. But as soon as I put my foot down, you guessed it, more dirt and sand. I am easily bothered by such a little thing as the sand on my feet. Can you imagine how dirty peoples’ feet would have been in Bible days? Remember it was dusty and sandy in certain parts of Israel. And the people walked pretty much everywhere they went in their sandals.

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Sweeter Than Honey: This is What Restoration Looks Like

9/20/2022

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Zechariah 10-12 begins with the restoration of Judah and #Israel and end with a spirit of #grace and pleas for #mercy. Although much of the Old Testament seems like something that happened a long time ago, that doesn’t pertain to us today, when we dig deep we clearly see how so much of it does pertain to us today. The #restoration of #Judah and Israel is much like our own restoration. Just as the people of Judah and Israel, we too wandered like sheep in need of a #Shepherd. #devotional #Bible

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Living By Faith

9/16/2022

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How do we please the #God of the universe? We please Him when we obey His commandments. We please Him when we show #love to others. We please Him when we sacrifice for those in need. But what pleases Him most is our #faith and our #faithfulness. Just as He is #faithful, we are to be faithful. These 7 words sum up the entire #Christian life:

“If we pray to God we must expect answers to our prayers. Do we in fact, after we have prayed, continue to look to God and eagerly await the answer? Are we like this man [Habakkuk] on his watch-tower, expecting it to come at any moment?” —Martyn Lloyd-Jones, From Fear to Faith

After our lesson on An Unwanted Answer, I sat in the Sunday morning service and listened as the choir sang Bow The Knee.

"In His hands, He holds the power of creation.
With His voice, He spoke, and all things came to be. Yet He hears each simple prayer I bring before Him When I humbly seek His face and bow the knee...

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Sweeter Than Honey: Our Influence Matters

9/13/2022

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In Daniel 4-6, we read about 3 kings of Babylon--Nebuchadnezzar, his son Belshazzar, and Darius the Mede. Daniel had influence, for the Most High God [#ElElyon], over all 3 of these. Our influence matters! We know from reading about King Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream that he had a problem with pride. He reveals through that dream,

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A Tree Planted by the Living Water

9/9/2022

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As I was reading through God's Word using the Sweeter Than Honey Bible reading plan this summer, on July 29, I came across this passage in Jeremiah. Chapters 16-18 of the book of Jeremiah talk about a tree planted by the water and how it flourishes.

I don't know about you, but I love the word "flourish," It's exactly how I want to live my life!

We discovered a lot about flourishing in our Summer 2022 Book Club-Style Bible Study using the book Aging With Grace by Sharon Betters and Susan Hunt. You can read week one here.

I also love the story of the potter and the clay found in Jeremiah 18, but this is what caught my attention most when I read those chapters—the comparison of a person who does not trust in the Lord to a person who does trust in Him.

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