I started my QT today needing to open in prayer and just be still and clear my mind, not even thinking about what I was going to study. God did some convicting, which I always tell Him I'm open to so I should be ready. I heard a few things...Laugh more (Just FYI my theme phrase for the year is Lighten-Up so He was getting me back in check with that). Also, which is a hindrance to the first is that I need to get more sleep. This midnight bedtime is not cutting it for this mama. Lastly, the men and women who serve in our military were laid heavy on my heart, possibly to serve them in some way - welcoming them, helping families, etc.. Not sure. I will be praying for more clarity with this. Sounds like an awesome opportunity.
One thing I do want to clear up is that I have never heard an audible voice of the Lord. I pray for Him to lay thoughts, actions, people, etc. on my heart and whatever comes to mind I trust and do my best to determine if it is from Him. Just in case anyone is struggling with thinking they have to really here a loud voice from Him, I never have, but some may.
Prayers:
-For God to be glorified at the 5K this weekend and for the precious girl of the hour to feel all the love that will be poured out for her
-Praise that my cousin was not hurt in a rollover accident
Study:
Ready to wrap up my study of Luke 24:13-35, so I read the passage all the way through one more time and focused on the main take away points for me....Don't be slow to heart to believe in what God has done and can do in my life! Jesus truly loves and has compassion on His people.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Day Eight 3-30
So after opening in prayer to begin my QT, I usually go right to Bible study, but this time I wanted to start by listening and seeing what prayers were laid on my heart. I won't normally write all these out, but thought I would this time.
-My best friend's mom came up immediately so I prayed for her to cling to righteousness for clarity and that she choose You to follow today Lord
-I prayed for myself and the fellow wives of my Life Group for help to submit, honor, support, respect, and love our husbands this week and for a general hedge of protection over our marriages
-I prayed for my mom to feel loved, valued, and empowered as she begins a new journey in her life with a potential new job, Also it has been on my heart the last 2 days to do a 5k with her on Mother's Day which is crazy for many reasons but I'll keep an eye on it:)
-I prayed for clarity for my future as a teacher as my license expires next year and I have to renew it which takes lot of time and money
-I prayed for another child to love, cherish, laugh with, and share Jesus with, Your will be done here Lord as with all the prayers
----------------------
Study: Luke 24:13-35
After doing some studying, I thought it was interesting in Mark 16:10 that he mentioned the 2 might have been a part of the group where there was mourning and weeping. This may continue to explain their furthered distress and flee after hearing that He may have in fact risen from the dead. So to summarize their actions briefly...Weeping and Mourning - Heard news of possible resurrection - Couldn't believe it - Fled away from it all - Visited by Jesus on trip - Came back to group with changed hearts to share what happened
So God most likely opened up the Scriptures to them on the road (probably focusing on prophecies fulfilled) to prepare them to share the good news to people after He was gone. Just a thought.
-My best friend's mom came up immediately so I prayed for her to cling to righteousness for clarity and that she choose You to follow today Lord
-I prayed for myself and the fellow wives of my Life Group for help to submit, honor, support, respect, and love our husbands this week and for a general hedge of protection over our marriages
-I prayed for my mom to feel loved, valued, and empowered as she begins a new journey in her life with a potential new job, Also it has been on my heart the last 2 days to do a 5k with her on Mother's Day which is crazy for many reasons but I'll keep an eye on it:)
-I prayed for clarity for my future as a teacher as my license expires next year and I have to renew it which takes lot of time and money
-I prayed for another child to love, cherish, laugh with, and share Jesus with, Your will be done here Lord as with all the prayers
----------------------
Study: Luke 24:13-35
After doing some studying, I thought it was interesting in Mark 16:10 that he mentioned the 2 might have been a part of the group where there was mourning and weeping. This may continue to explain their furthered distress and flee after hearing that He may have in fact risen from the dead. So to summarize their actions briefly...Weeping and Mourning - Heard news of possible resurrection - Couldn't believe it - Fled away from it all - Visited by Jesus on trip - Came back to group with changed hearts to share what happened
So God most likely opened up the Scriptures to them on the road (probably focusing on prophecies fulfilled) to prepare them to share the good news to people after He was gone. Just a thought.
Day Seven 3-29
I'm moving on the the Why? part of studying this passage (Luke 24:13-35). Some questions that have flooded my mind as I read over the entire passage are...Why include this particular event in the Bible? Why did Jesus take the time to visit these men? Why did Jesus do the things He did? Why did He not do some things, like reveal Himself do them in the beginning? Why take the time to explain what was said about Him in the Scriptures? Had they not already heard this or were familiar with it? What does it mean to have the Scriptures opened to them and have I ever experienced that? Is this event in any of the other Gospels?
I realize there are some things I can't answer and some answers don't matter really to the big scheme of things, but I like thinking deeper about all this and investing the time to dig into the Word. If anything, it has helped me become more in tune with Luke and most importantly, the character of Jesus.
It is interesting to see that Mark is the only other Gospel writer to include this event, however it is only 2 verses. Some of the Gospels make it seems as if the actual ascension (post-context) was restricted to the 11 disciples, but it doesn't seem that way in Luke. So, I may have been wrong earlier when talking about the 2 men's reward being that they got to see Jesus ascend, but I don't know. I'd have to do some deeper investigating about that. Either way, I do think their doubts were subsided and they took it upon themselves to spread the good news, but that is speculation of course, unless they are mentioned later in Paul's writing? The other Gospel writers do, however mention Jesus visiting others that Luke does not. I think throughout the Gospels, God wanted us to see various perspectives and encounters written from all the authors. I think it would be less credible if they were all the exact same accounts word for word. I'm not sure why people have such a hard time with that aspect of the gospels.
During my "Be Still and Listen" part of my QT at the end, I thought it was made pretty clear to me that it was great I was spending all this time in Bible study, but I needed to make sure I was balancing my time with focused prayer as well. You got it Lord. Thanks.
I realize there are some things I can't answer and some answers don't matter really to the big scheme of things, but I like thinking deeper about all this and investing the time to dig into the Word. If anything, it has helped me become more in tune with Luke and most importantly, the character of Jesus.
It is interesting to see that Mark is the only other Gospel writer to include this event, however it is only 2 verses. Some of the Gospels make it seems as if the actual ascension (post-context) was restricted to the 11 disciples, but it doesn't seem that way in Luke. So, I may have been wrong earlier when talking about the 2 men's reward being that they got to see Jesus ascend, but I don't know. I'd have to do some deeper investigating about that. Either way, I do think their doubts were subsided and they took it upon themselves to spread the good news, but that is speculation of course, unless they are mentioned later in Paul's writing? The other Gospel writers do, however mention Jesus visiting others that Luke does not. I think throughout the Gospels, God wanted us to see various perspectives and encounters written from all the authors. I think it would be less credible if they were all the exact same accounts word for word. I'm not sure why people have such a hard time with that aspect of the gospels.
During my "Be Still and Listen" part of my QT at the end, I thought it was made pretty clear to me that it was great I was spending all this time in Bible study, but I needed to make sure I was balancing my time with focused prayer as well. You got it Lord. Thanks.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Day Six 3-28
So today, I focused in on getting to know Luke, the author. After writing down what I found out about him and looking it over, there were some cool things that were new to me or I had forgotten about him. I never realized that his name is never mentioned as the author in the books he supposedly wrote, Luke and Acts. There are much smarter people than I who spent a ton of time coming to the conclusion that it was him and it is accepted by just about everyone I think?? so I will trust them and take their word for it. I also didn't realize that he is mainly described in the Bible as Paul's buddy, which is a pretty awesome way to be remembered in history.
Studying the information surrounding Luke has deepened my respect for him. He didn't just believe blindly what was handed down to him, but he carefully and intentionally examined the information himself with his mind and heart, and led by God, wrote down his findings in great detail, which I appreciate. One of my favorite things in the book of Luke is at the very beginning of his book when he is explaining the purpose to his audience and he says "so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught." I think he wanted us to know that this guy Jesus and what He did was real. He wanted the Roman-Gentile, etc. world to know the truth and essentially change or confirm their hearts, especially because they weren't too removed from it.
Studying the information surrounding Luke has deepened my respect for him. He didn't just believe blindly what was handed down to him, but he carefully and intentionally examined the information himself with his mind and heart, and led by God, wrote down his findings in great detail, which I appreciate. One of my favorite things in the book of Luke is at the very beginning of his book when he is explaining the purpose to his audience and he says "so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught." I think he wanted us to know that this guy Jesus and what He did was real. He wanted the Roman-Gentile, etc. world to know the truth and essentially change or confirm their hearts, especially because they weren't too removed from it.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Day Five 3-27
As I open in prayer to start my quiet time, I found myself thanking God for the image He gave us of how my relationship with Him looks similar to how my kids relationship should look towards me as a parent. I want to be with Him, cling to His love, soak in His wisdom, not disappoint Him, and feel the warmth and safety of His arms. It's amazing to think that was so purposefully planned for us as His children to see modeled as kids from our parents, specifically fathers. I am so grateful that I had an earthly father and mother that modeled that love for me and also now my husband does for our kids.
After digging in deeper to the places listed in the passage I am studying (Luke 24:13-35), my favorite part was looking at Jerusalem and the surrounding areas on an actual map to see the direction they went, the terrain, where everything was located in relation to one another, etc. I had several questions, like "Why were the two men headed to Emmaus?" One or both of them must have lived there because they invited Jesus to stay with them overnight and had a table to serve a meal at. I don't know.
It struck me again how awesome their response was this time to realizing they were with the Resurrected Christ. After Jesus disappeared, "at once" they left the home, and went back to Jerusalem the 7 miles, probably walking. How long does it take to walk a mile? An hour factoring in the terrain?? They still made it in time to see Jesus again with the disciples and witness His ascension that same day. Their original fear/doubt/confusion must have been reversed and confirmed and they were rewarded by getting to see Jesus' last time on earth. Pretty awesome:)
It is invigorating to play detective, investigate and dig deeper into the Scriptures. It really helps to allow the Word to come alive by trying to put myself back in time and try to imagine what it would have been like for these real people going through real things. I thank God for helping me to see the bigger picture and get a closer glimpse into His amazing character.
What I want to look at next... Luke, the author
After digging in deeper to the places listed in the passage I am studying (Luke 24:13-35), my favorite part was looking at Jerusalem and the surrounding areas on an actual map to see the direction they went, the terrain, where everything was located in relation to one another, etc. I had several questions, like "Why were the two men headed to Emmaus?" One or both of them must have lived there because they invited Jesus to stay with them overnight and had a table to serve a meal at. I don't know.
It struck me again how awesome their response was this time to realizing they were with the Resurrected Christ. After Jesus disappeared, "at once" they left the home, and went back to Jerusalem the 7 miles, probably walking. How long does it take to walk a mile? An hour factoring in the terrain?? They still made it in time to see Jesus again with the disciples and witness His ascension that same day. Their original fear/doubt/confusion must have been reversed and confirmed and they were rewarded by getting to see Jesus' last time on earth. Pretty awesome:)
It is invigorating to play detective, investigate and dig deeper into the Scriptures. It really helps to allow the Word to come alive by trying to put myself back in time and try to imagine what it would have been like for these real people going through real things. I thank God for helping me to see the bigger picture and get a closer glimpse into His amazing character.
What I want to look at next... Luke, the author
Day Four 3-26
I'm in the process of transferring my weekend journals to this site. Maybe one day I'll be able to post my QT from that same day, but I'm not sure in this season of life that will happen:) ...
3-26
It is Saturday and I was thrown off a bit due to my Gracie deciding not to take a nap. I usually do my QT when the kids are napping. So, here I sit in the middle of my kid's playroom as they run around me, Bible and journal open, attempting to focus my mind on Christ for a little bit. It's not the quiet setting I prefer and I'm sure God wants, but I thirst for Him and crave to be near Him. We are getting together with some friends tonight and most likely will be gone past midnight, so this is what it is going to have to be today. Oddly, though, I do feel a strange closeness in the middle of the chaos around me. Almost a stilling feeling and I feel at peace and close to my Lord. Even as I write this, Gracie is stealing my pen and decided to autograph the paper next to me.
Ok, pen retrieved...I am in the "Where" part of my study of Luke 24:13-35 and I simply want to list all the places mentioned in the passage and their reference and then look up each one and reflect on them the next time. Here they are...on the road, Emmaus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Israel, the tomb, Scriptures, at the table, place where the 11 assembled.
As I closed in prayer, one thing I did do was apologize for the setting I was coming to Him in and my poor time management and told Him I was excited for our appointment tomorrow. Also, I thanked Him for what would have been my dad's birthday today:) I'm looking forward to celebrating all these missed birthdays with my dad in heaven. We'll have a while to catch up:)
3-26
It is Saturday and I was thrown off a bit due to my Gracie deciding not to take a nap. I usually do my QT when the kids are napping. So, here I sit in the middle of my kid's playroom as they run around me, Bible and journal open, attempting to focus my mind on Christ for a little bit. It's not the quiet setting I prefer and I'm sure God wants, but I thirst for Him and crave to be near Him. We are getting together with some friends tonight and most likely will be gone past midnight, so this is what it is going to have to be today. Oddly, though, I do feel a strange closeness in the middle of the chaos around me. Almost a stilling feeling and I feel at peace and close to my Lord. Even as I write this, Gracie is stealing my pen and decided to autograph the paper next to me.
Ok, pen retrieved...I am in the "Where" part of my study of Luke 24:13-35 and I simply want to list all the places mentioned in the passage and their reference and then look up each one and reflect on them the next time. Here they are...on the road, Emmaus, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Israel, the tomb, Scriptures, at the table, place where the 11 assembled.
As I closed in prayer, one thing I did do was apologize for the setting I was coming to Him in and my poor time management and told Him I was excited for our appointment tomorrow. Also, I thanked Him for what would have been my dad's birthday today:) I'm looking forward to celebrating all these missed birthdays with my dad in heaven. We'll have a while to catch up:)
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Day Three 3-25
The focus of my study today is on the order of events in the passage I have been reading (Luke 24:13-35). I broke it down into 9 events. After reading them over and reflecting on them and why Luke recorded them the way he did, I saw the events as a cycle or circle effect in a way. After hearing from their friends that the body of Jesus was gone and possibly resurrected, they left Jerusalem for some reason instead of going there themselves. But (which is most important here I think), there faith strengthened or maybe was confirmed after their encounter with Jesus and they IMMEDIATELY turned back and went to Jerusalem to join the others.
We can always turn around from wherever we are and return to Him.
We can always turn around from wherever we are and return to Him.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Day Two 3-24
During my quiet time, I'm currently reading Living By the Book by Hendricks to refresh my reading of the Bible. I'm parked in Ch.11 titled Read Selectively which has me practice using Who, What, Where, When, Why, and Wherefore as I am focused in on Luke 24:13-35. I am focused on the What aspect of it right now. After analyzing the before and after context I have come to a few conclusions/opinions....
This man who they had come to love and follow was crucified 3 days ago as He had told them and now they were in the dreaded waiting/what do we do now stage that is no fun to be in. I don't think they fully grasped or understood all Jesus had said about His death and resurrection and I'm sure the conversations during this time were heavy, heated, and emotional accompanied by a lot of silence in thought. It was a time of checking their hearts and when the women of their group said Jesus had in fact risen as He had said, most could not wrap their mind around it and truly didn't know how to handle it quite frankly, except Peter, really, who ran to the tomb to see for himself. The men focused on in the passage I'm studying did as many of us probably would have done and do today. They ran from it in disbelief, confusion, and most likely fear. I don't think we are meant to look at them in judgement and stupidity as I once thought, I could be wrong of course as I am often. Because, they loved Jesus. They were a part of His tight group of followers and Jesus himself took the time, precious resurrected body time on earth, to visit them specifically. Sure He scolded them, but He is Jesus and He can and should, but we aren't.
What I am learning is that I should put myself in their shoes and have compassion on them as I can for myself and others when faced with lack of faith. I'm glad I have the burning sensation within my heart as they describe in Luke 24:32 to remind me of His presence and righteousness. Thanks God for your love and unique way of using real people's lives so long ago to apply to mine today.
This man who they had come to love and follow was crucified 3 days ago as He had told them and now they were in the dreaded waiting/what do we do now stage that is no fun to be in. I don't think they fully grasped or understood all Jesus had said about His death and resurrection and I'm sure the conversations during this time were heavy, heated, and emotional accompanied by a lot of silence in thought. It was a time of checking their hearts and when the women of their group said Jesus had in fact risen as He had said, most could not wrap their mind around it and truly didn't know how to handle it quite frankly, except Peter, really, who ran to the tomb to see for himself. The men focused on in the passage I'm studying did as many of us probably would have done and do today. They ran from it in disbelief, confusion, and most likely fear. I don't think we are meant to look at them in judgement and stupidity as I once thought, I could be wrong of course as I am often. Because, they loved Jesus. They were a part of His tight group of followers and Jesus himself took the time, precious resurrected body time on earth, to visit them specifically. Sure He scolded them, but He is Jesus and He can and should, but we aren't.
What I am learning is that I should put myself in their shoes and have compassion on them as I can for myself and others when faced with lack of faith. I'm glad I have the burning sensation within my heart as they describe in Luke 24:32 to remind me of His presence and righteousness. Thanks God for your love and unique way of using real people's lives so long ago to apply to mine today.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Day One
As it does feel liberating to actually commit to this, I do know it is better to not make a commitment at all then to not keep it so I take this seriously. It's crazy, but I'm not kidding, as soon as I said yes to this in my heart, I was immediately frantically thumbing through the Bible being drawn to 5 places in scripture...
1. "Remain in Me as I also remain in you." John 15:4
2. " Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Josh 1:8-9
3. "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25
4. "Come near to God and He will come near to you." James 4:8
5. "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up." James 4:10
As I reflected over these verses, I noticed a theme throughout, there are action points for me to carry out tied to a promise from God.
Along with these verses, I was also bombarded with 5 prayers...
1.To have Your eyes, ears, hands, and heart every day.
2. To see the big picture and take my blinders off and quit judging others.
3. To focus intently on loving my husband by allowing the Holy Spirit to fill in my weaknesses and to specifically...listen, use gentle kind encouraging words, support, not react in anger, understand where he is coming from, submit, treat him how I want to be treated
4. To incorporate You more into my daily life verbally and prayerfully with my kids
5. To be a better shepherd to those I have been entrusted: my children and husband, Life Group members, Discussion Group Leaders
I have to make one thing clear about all this as I end my first post, "Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. (Ps 115:1)
I know this won't be easy. Maybe that's why He wanted me to make this public for accountability? for others to join me? I'm not sure. What I do know is that throughout this, I will be as transparent as possible, but sensitive to privacy as well. I will not force anything and I also cannot guarantee I will post every day. I'm nervous and a little scared as well, but it feels good all at the same time. However, that seems to be the theme of all this. Get out of my comfort zone and obey Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)