What metaphor do Psalm 125:1 and Psalm 30:6-7 share?
How did God describe Himself in Zechariah 2:5?
What kinds of things did the Israelites feel and experience? (Psalm 126:1-3)
How does Galatians 6:9 convey the element of time in the process of harvest?
How are the words of King David's beloved son in Ecclesiastes 1:2 thematically similar to Psalm 127:1-2?
How has insecurity caused you misery?
How can we still say God has been good to us when He allowed us to encounter trouble and sorrow?
Describe a time when God did something that you could hardly believe and you knew you didn't deserve.
What part do you think faith and patience play in our wait as we obey God and look for the first sprouts of harvest?
In one phrase, what do you think Psalm 127:2 is saying?
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Our Eyes Look to the Lord
What were Paul's feelings toward the believers in Philippi? (Philipians 1:3-8)
What do you consider to be the theme of Psalm 123?
How would you define disrespect?
With what metaphors does Psalm 124 describe the peril that surrounds God's people?
With what three major historical situations were the Psalms of Ascent associated?
What relationships do you have at church that you wouldn't have anywhere else?
Have you discovered a strong relationship in the concept of the statement where i look impacts how I feel? If so, how?
What did you do or wish you could have done after seeing someone harshly ridiculed?
What might have happened with your life "if the LORD had not be on [your] side?
What words did God use to tell you what He'll do for you? (Romans 8:28-39)
What do you consider to be the theme of Psalm 123?
How would you define disrespect?
With what metaphors does Psalm 124 describe the peril that surrounds God's people?
With what three major historical situations were the Psalms of Ascent associated?
What relationships do you have at church that you wouldn't have anywhere else?
Have you discovered a strong relationship in the concept of the statement where i look impacts how I feel? If so, how?
What did you do or wish you could have done after seeing someone harshly ridiculed?
What might have happened with your life "if the LORD had not be on [your] side?
What words did God use to tell you what He'll do for you? (Romans 8:28-39)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Where Will My Help Come From?
So, let's review some of the questions from this week's homework and share our responses. (To share your answer or comments you can just click on # comments below this post.)
"What five tones or words would you choose to describe the psalmist's state as he approached God?" I said: needy (Psalm 40:17, 86:1), overwhelmed and fainted (Psalm 142: 3), gratitude and awe (Psalm 144)
"What does Psalm 142:1-2 give you permission to do?"
"A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of David; when he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1I CRY to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord do I make supplication.
2I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell before Him my trouble."
God gives us permission to cry to Him. To ask for Him to meet our needs. To pour out our complaints before Him and to share our troubles with Him. He gives us permission to be real, to not hide behind a mask of perfection. (Of course after we express all of this to Him, He also gives us ability and permission to then let it go and lay it down (pour it out in the sense that then the cup of complaints is empty) before Him...)
In my distress I called out to the Covenant Maker and Keeper and the Covenant Maker and Keeper answered me!
"What connection do you see between taking an uncertain journey and wanting a reminder that your covenant LORD is the uncontested Maker of heaven and earth?"
It gives me comfort to know that God made the earth, so I can feel free to move about it without fear. He protects me and who better to protect me in a journey than the Creator of the place that I travel? PROTECT...PROTECTOR...Do you think He's trying to tell us something? I love the use of Genesis 2:15. God tends, guards, and keeps us! "Do you have any current need to have those truths ("The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8") hammered into your head, whether concerning your own life or another of God's children? If so, what is it?"
"How does Psalm 91:4 depict the closeness of God's shelter?"
"[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler."
His shelter covers me. It us under His wings that I trust and find refuge. His shelter is closer than close.
"What parallels from Ephesians 2:11-22 apply to lessons you learned about the peace of Jerusalem?"
"What five tones or words would you choose to describe the psalmist's state as he approached God?" I said: needy (Psalm 40:17, 86:1), overwhelmed and fainted (Psalm 142: 3), gratitude and awe (Psalm 144)
"What does Psalm 142:1-2 give you permission to do?"
"A skillful song, or a didactic or reflective poem, of David; when he was in the cave. A Prayer.
1I CRY to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord do I make supplication.
2I pour out my complaint before Him; I tell before Him my trouble."
God gives us permission to cry to Him. To ask for Him to meet our needs. To pour out our complaints before Him and to share our troubles with Him. He gives us permission to be real, to not hide behind a mask of perfection. (Of course after we express all of this to Him, He also gives us ability and permission to then let it go and lay it down (pour it out in the sense that then the cup of complaints is empty) before Him...)
In my distress I called out to the Covenant Maker and Keeper and the Covenant Maker and Keeper answered me!
"What connection do you see between taking an uncertain journey and wanting a reminder that your covenant LORD is the uncontested Maker of heaven and earth?"
It gives me comfort to know that God made the earth, so I can feel free to move about it without fear. He protects me and who better to protect me in a journey than the Creator of the place that I travel? PROTECT...PROTECTOR...Do you think He's trying to tell us something? I love the use of Genesis 2:15. God tends, guards, and keeps us! "Do you have any current need to have those truths ("The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8") hammered into your head, whether concerning your own life or another of God's children? If so, what is it?"
"How does Psalm 91:4 depict the closeness of God's shelter?"
"[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler."
His shelter covers me. It us under His wings that I trust and find refuge. His shelter is closer than close.
"What parallels from Ephesians 2:11-22 apply to lessons you learned about the peace of Jerusalem?"
Sunday, August 23, 2009
I am so glad that you are joining us for Stepping Up! I will be sending out a schedule for the study and for socials for the semester soon. If you signed up on the list at Connect Weekend or have already emailed me, I have your email address and information. If not, please email me or register on the Valley Creek Church website (www.valleycreek.org) and I will add you to my email list! Thanks! I'm looking forward to getting to know y'all as we study God's word together!!!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Hannah: A Portrait of Femenine Grace
You can read about Hannah in 1 Samuel. There are many interesting aspects to her experiences and many things mentioned in this chapter of the book. I am only going to mention a few things here, but I encourage you to read the Biblical account of Hannah and John MacArthur's chapter about her as weel.
"Hannah prayed and said; My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation." 1 Samuel 2:1
How sweet! Hannah rejoiced in the Lord, even in the middle of her suffering and waiting. She smiled at her enemies, and not in a mean or condescending way, but because how could she not smile when she is rejoicing in her salvation. Her heart was overjoyed! Her heart was overflowing, not only to the words of her mouth (Matthew 12:34) but also to the look on her face.
We have all waited desperately for something that we long for and some of us are still waiting. So I think that we can all relate to Hannah. Hannah was waiting to be a mother. She "wept bitterly". She longed to be a mother with pure motives and she was real with her longing before God. What is it that you are seeking? Privately pour out your feelings on paper. Honestly describe your longing to God. Write out the questions that you hide inside. Ask God to give you the vision of what He wants for you. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart." Psalm 37:4 This means that when we delight in Him our desires are fulfilled, but also that He places those desires in our hearts when we seek Him. "My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad." Psalm 34:2
Hannah also "cherished the very same messianic hope that framed the worldview of everyone of the extraordinary women we are studying". This chapter talks about Jesus being the "one true object of all saving faith - even in Old Testament times. Long before He was explicitly revealed in human flesh, the Redeemer was promised". Our messianic hope fulfilled should frame our worldview. Because Jesus is our salvation, He should be the frame around everything that we see in and believe about the world. A "Christ-centered perspective" is "the key to everything that made" Hannah and the other women that we have studied truly extraordinary!
"I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord." Psalms 40:1-3
"Hannah prayed and said; My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation." 1 Samuel 2:1
How sweet! Hannah rejoiced in the Lord, even in the middle of her suffering and waiting. She smiled at her enemies, and not in a mean or condescending way, but because how could she not smile when she is rejoicing in her salvation. Her heart was overjoyed! Her heart was overflowing, not only to the words of her mouth (Matthew 12:34) but also to the look on her face.
We have all waited desperately for something that we long for and some of us are still waiting. So I think that we can all relate to Hannah. Hannah was waiting to be a mother. She "wept bitterly". She longed to be a mother with pure motives and she was real with her longing before God. What is it that you are seeking? Privately pour out your feelings on paper. Honestly describe your longing to God. Write out the questions that you hide inside. Ask God to give you the vision of what He wants for you. "Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart." Psalm 37:4 This means that when we delight in Him our desires are fulfilled, but also that He places those desires in our hearts when we seek Him. "My life makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble and afflicted hear and be glad." Psalm 34:2
Hannah also "cherished the very same messianic hope that framed the worldview of everyone of the extraordinary women we are studying". This chapter talks about Jesus being the "one true object of all saving faith - even in Old Testament times. Long before He was explicitly revealed in human flesh, the Redeemer was promised". Our messianic hope fulfilled should frame our worldview. Because Jesus is our salvation, He should be the frame around everything that we see in and believe about the world. A "Christ-centered perspective" is "the key to everything that made" Hannah and the other women that we have studied truly extraordinary!
"I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up out of a horrible pit [a pit of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay (froth and slime), and set my feet upon a rock, steadying my steps and establishing my goings. And He has put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many shall see and fear (revere and worship) and put their trust and confident reliance in the Lord." Psalms 40:1-3
This is a song that I remember from a youth camp a long time ago and pray and cling to now.
give me one pure and holy passion
give me one magnificent obsession
give me one glorious ambition for my life
to know and follow hard after You
to know and follow hard after You
to grow as Your disciple in Your truth
This world is empty, pale and pour
compared to knowing You my Lord
lead me on and I will run after You
lead me on and I will run after You
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Ruth: Loyalty and Love
We are still in the lineage of Jesus. God shows us His mercy and grace in who He chose to be the biological ancestors of Christ. Ruth was a Moabite women, who by tradition should not have been married to a Jewish man. But God arranged circumstances in such a way that they could not have been manipulated or ordered by any person.
Gotta love a good love story! Ruth felt drawn to Naomi out of duty, but also out of friendship and love. She was drawn to her mother-in-law who knew the Living God. Ruth abandoned what she had known and grown up with and turned to God. God ordained her steps into perfection. (Father God, I ask that you would guide our steps and that any attempt that we make to manipulate or create our own path would be redirected into your perfect plan for our lives. In Proverbs 16:33 You tell us that even events that seem accidental are readilly ordered by You. You are a partner in our labor and You work everything together for our good, fitting into a plan. We are not wandering aimlessly. Even when we may not feel the direction, You are leading us. We love You and You have called us according to Your design and purpose.)
God led Ruth to the field of her almost-next-of-kin. What a funny turn of events when it turns out there is someone else first. Maybe Ruth wondered what was going on. The Bible doesn't tell us that her faith waivered, but mine might. I hope that it wouldn't, but I can imagine wondering if I had misheard God. Maybe that was my idea and not His? What is going on here? But God still had the situation in His plan. He knew that the next-in-line wouldn't step up and that Boaz was "the one". God had "the one" for Ruth long before she knew who he would be.
So, Ruth gleans in his fields and Boaz is kind to her. He makes sure that she is well taken care of. Then Naomi sends Ruth in to make the first move. And talk about a first move! Okay, I know that it doesn't make sense in our culture, but those of you that are married think about when you first starting crushing on your husband. So you want to tell him that you're interesting, that he may be the guy for you, so you go into his house in the middle of the night, take the covers off of his feet and lay at the foot of his bed. There was an actual meaning in this situation and anyone in the culture and time would have understood. Boaz could have taken advantage of the situation, but he acted honorably. He obviously wanted to marry Ruth, but he knew that he was second in line, so he went with urgency to settle the situation. Boaz took an active role in the love story and pursued Ruth with honor.
BTW - "After years of famine" Boaz had an abundant harvest. The world would say coincidence, but we know that God set up the situation so that Boaz would have no trouble provided for his new bride.
God is our portion and provider. He has "redeemed [us], brought [us] into a position of great favor, endowed [us] with riches and privelege, exalted [us] to be [His] own bride, and loved [us] with the profoundest affection".
Gotta love a good love story! Ruth felt drawn to Naomi out of duty, but also out of friendship and love. She was drawn to her mother-in-law who knew the Living God. Ruth abandoned what she had known and grown up with and turned to God. God ordained her steps into perfection. (Father God, I ask that you would guide our steps and that any attempt that we make to manipulate or create our own path would be redirected into your perfect plan for our lives. In Proverbs 16:33 You tell us that even events that seem accidental are readilly ordered by You. You are a partner in our labor and You work everything together for our good, fitting into a plan. We are not wandering aimlessly. Even when we may not feel the direction, You are leading us. We love You and You have called us according to Your design and purpose.)
God led Ruth to the field of her almost-next-of-kin. What a funny turn of events when it turns out there is someone else first. Maybe Ruth wondered what was going on. The Bible doesn't tell us that her faith waivered, but mine might. I hope that it wouldn't, but I can imagine wondering if I had misheard God. Maybe that was my idea and not His? What is going on here? But God still had the situation in His plan. He knew that the next-in-line wouldn't step up and that Boaz was "the one". God had "the one" for Ruth long before she knew who he would be.
So, Ruth gleans in his fields and Boaz is kind to her. He makes sure that she is well taken care of. Then Naomi sends Ruth in to make the first move. And talk about a first move! Okay, I know that it doesn't make sense in our culture, but those of you that are married think about when you first starting crushing on your husband. So you want to tell him that you're interesting, that he may be the guy for you, so you go into his house in the middle of the night, take the covers off of his feet and lay at the foot of his bed. There was an actual meaning in this situation and anyone in the culture and time would have understood. Boaz could have taken advantage of the situation, but he acted honorably. He obviously wanted to marry Ruth, but he knew that he was second in line, so he went with urgency to settle the situation. Boaz took an active role in the love story and pursued Ruth with honor.
BTW - "After years of famine" Boaz had an abundant harvest. The world would say coincidence, but we know that God set up the situation so that Boaz would have no trouble provided for his new bride.
God is our portion and provider. He has "redeemed [us], brought [us] into a position of great favor, endowed [us] with riches and privelege, exalted [us] to be [His] own bride, and loved [us] with the profoundest affection".
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Rahab: A Horrible Life Redeemed
Don't listen to the unbelief of the pessimists rather than to the promise of YHWH. Even when the others thought that the situation was grim, Joshua and Caleb listened to God and they were "enthusiastic" about it! The other spies relied on logic, while Joshua and Caleb knew that God would do what He said He would do, that He is bigger than even our biggest fears.
Rahab knew just from witnessing God's interactions with the Israelites and from what He spoke to her heart that He is real and powerful. I love the dissection of her action of lying. MacArthur points out that what Rahab did was not right. She acted on her own "logic". She thought that she had to lie to get the king's representatives to leave. She didn't know God very well at that point and she didn't know that He could conquer the situation without her. But that was okay. God still acted in the situation. He didn't leave her alone and hopeless just because she made a mistake. That is so encouraging to me! I can't tell you how may times I have tried to use my own logic to solve a situation that I should have stayed back and allowed God to handle it. Don't get me wrong, God gave us intelligence and wisdom ("The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever." Psalm 111:10) and He wants us to use it. He speaks to our hearts and minds and tells us how to handle situations. But He also tells us when it is time to lay off of a situation and allow Him to be big and glorified in an all Him way. We don't have to compensate for what we think He isn't doing. God's timing, while not always comfortable in the moment, always leads to the best for us! "...Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts." Zecheriah 4:6
His divine grace redeemed Rahab and it has redeemed you and me!!!
Rahab knew just from witnessing God's interactions with the Israelites and from what He spoke to her heart that He is real and powerful. I love the dissection of her action of lying. MacArthur points out that what Rahab did was not right. She acted on her own "logic". She thought that she had to lie to get the king's representatives to leave. She didn't know God very well at that point and she didn't know that He could conquer the situation without her. But that was okay. God still acted in the situation. He didn't leave her alone and hopeless just because she made a mistake. That is so encouraging to me! I can't tell you how may times I have tried to use my own logic to solve a situation that I should have stayed back and allowed God to handle it. Don't get me wrong, God gave us intelligence and wisdom ("The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom and skill [the preceding and the first essential, the prerequisite and the alphabet]; a good understanding, wisdom and meaning have all those who do [the will of the Lord]. Their praise of Him endures forever." Psalm 111:10) and He wants us to use it. He speaks to our hearts and minds and tells us how to handle situations. But He also tells us when it is time to lay off of a situation and allow Him to be big and glorified in an all Him way. We don't have to compensate for what we think He isn't doing. God's timing, while not always comfortable in the moment, always leads to the best for us! "...Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit [of Whom the oil is a symbol], says the Lord of hosts." Zecheriah 4:6
His divine grace redeemed Rahab and it has redeemed you and me!!!
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