For we are God's Masterpiece. He has created us new in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Eph 2:10
Did you know that you are God's Masterpiece? You are! He created you... on purpose. No accident.. no mistake.. He created you with a plan for your life. How awesome and overwhelming that thought is to me.
As I sat down to dig into this verse earlier in the week, the word MASTERPIECE just really held my attention. I started thinking of things the world considers to be Masterpieces... painting, sculptures, works of literature, embroidery, quilts... these wonderful things that are lovingly created by hand. Usually the creator plans what he or she wants to create.. pulls together needed supplies.. determines steps.. the creator will work a bit.. step back.. make changes.. and continue on until everything is just right.
That is how God is with us. He planned us.. knit us together in our Mother's womb (see Ps 139). You may have been told "You were not planned!".. "You were an accident!".. "We did not expect to have another baby!" .. and those things may be true from your earthly parent's viewpoint, but not your creator's. Elohim.. our Creator God.. planned when and where you would exist (Acts 17:26). You were no surprise to Him.. nor a mistake or unplanned.
And Eph. 2:10 tells us that not only were we planned, but we were planned with a purpose. God has things for us to do.. good things.
I am a quilter. My favorite quilts to make are for babies. I always make the quilt large enough to use into childhood. I envision it covering a wee babe to keep him warm.. spread out on the floor and covered with toys being used a play mat... being dragged around as a special "blankie" by a toddler. I am great saddened when a mom says "That is too pretty to use. I am going to drape it over the chair in the nursery." I want to scream "NO! I worked hard on that.. I planned to out.. and made it nice and durable so it could be used." And then thing is even if the quilt gets worn spots and stains, that's ok! It's purpose is to be used and loved.
I think God must feel that way about us too. He did not create us to sit and look pretty.. to soak in His Word and be pretty Christians sitting in church full of piety. No He created us to be used.. to love others.. to teach, share, serve.. to Go and Do whatever it is He has called us to do. And along the way we will get bumps and bruises.. we will be stained by struggle and strife.. and guess what, out earthly body will wear out... and that is OK! 'Cause the Masterpiece we see right now is perishable, but the true Masterpiece we are is in Heaven.. seated with Jesus.. and one day soon we will shed the perishable for the imperishable and see our Creator face to face. (1 Cor. 15) Until then.. get to work! :-)
Showing posts with label Online Bible Study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Online Bible Study. Show all posts
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Thursday, January 16, 2014
35,000 Women!!!!
I have shared here before about Proverbs 31 Online Bible Studies. I have been a participant for a year. Actually, I signed up for several before that but never actually followed through and did them! But last Spring they offered a study called Let.It.Go and the first chapter in the book was something like "God Wants His Job Back".. I knew that study was for me! I not only signed up for the daily emails from Proverbs 31, I signed up to be in a small group on FaceBook.
I never dreamed I would connect so with ladies I have never met face to face nor that I would get so much from the study. And it didn't stop there.. I participated (with the same group) in What Happens When Women Say Yes to God and A Confident Heart. 2 books I cannot recommend highly enough!
I have been blessed beyond measure with new friends and sisters who encourage me, accept me, love me, challenge me and so much more!
Face-to-face Bible study is great. I lead a group regularly at my church and participate at times with a blended group in my community. I would never encourage you to give that up if it is a part of your life. But don't think Online Bible Study isn't just a real.. just a viable. And the thing I love is that it is flexible which I know helps many ladies. I have met ladies who don't have access to "real life" Bible study where they live.. or what is offered doesn't work with their schedule.. or they have small children at home or a spouse and parent with needs that keep them at home.. OBS allows them to connect with other women and dig into the Word.
God using technology to further His Kingdom! How Awesome is that.
So.. the next study starts up this Sunday, January 19. We will be jumping into Lysa TerKeurst's book Made to Crave. Now honestly, a part of me wants to run from this study. I don't want to deal with my food issues. But I know I need to and I love there is a place for me to do this.. and honestly, I am glad it isn't a face to face study. That might sound strange, but hear me out. I know a lot of women will open up here more than they would if they were in a room full of women looking at them as they talk about this issue. I also know, for me, having my FB group will keep me accountable. I won't be able to just drop this study when it gets to hard.. to personal.. when it step so my toes!
This is not a weight loss study! And honestly, it isn't just a food study. Most women have food issues and body image issues, so it makes sense that we focus on that. But the bottom line is we are made to Crave God and when we Crave anything else above Him, we have an issue. That Craving can be food.. but it can also be shopping, approval, a man, acceptance, money, stuff, alcohol, etc.
As of Jan. 15, there were 35000 women signed up for this study! That alone tells me there is a need here!
Why not consider joining us? You can do as little or as much as you want. Sign up for emails only.. join FB group.. participate in ever little event we have. The choice is yours.
For more information on how the study works and to sign up, click the PS31 OBS button on the side of this blog. Your life will never be the same!
I never dreamed I would connect so with ladies I have never met face to face nor that I would get so much from the study. And it didn't stop there.. I participated (with the same group) in What Happens When Women Say Yes to God and A Confident Heart. 2 books I cannot recommend highly enough!
I have been blessed beyond measure with new friends and sisters who encourage me, accept me, love me, challenge me and so much more!
Face-to-face Bible study is great. I lead a group regularly at my church and participate at times with a blended group in my community. I would never encourage you to give that up if it is a part of your life. But don't think Online Bible Study isn't just a real.. just a viable. And the thing I love is that it is flexible which I know helps many ladies. I have met ladies who don't have access to "real life" Bible study where they live.. or what is offered doesn't work with their schedule.. or they have small children at home or a spouse and parent with needs that keep them at home.. OBS allows them to connect with other women and dig into the Word.
God using technology to further His Kingdom! How Awesome is that.
So.. the next study starts up this Sunday, January 19. We will be jumping into Lysa TerKeurst's book Made to Crave. Now honestly, a part of me wants to run from this study. I don't want to deal with my food issues. But I know I need to and I love there is a place for me to do this.. and honestly, I am glad it isn't a face to face study. That might sound strange, but hear me out. I know a lot of women will open up here more than they would if they were in a room full of women looking at them as they talk about this issue. I also know, for me, having my FB group will keep me accountable. I won't be able to just drop this study when it gets to hard.. to personal.. when it step so my toes!
This is not a weight loss study! And honestly, it isn't just a food study. Most women have food issues and body image issues, so it makes sense that we focus on that. But the bottom line is we are made to Crave God and when we Crave anything else above Him, we have an issue. That Craving can be food.. but it can also be shopping, approval, a man, acceptance, money, stuff, alcohol, etc.
As of Jan. 15, there were 35000 women signed up for this study! That alone tells me there is a need here!
Why not consider joining us? You can do as little or as much as you want. Sign up for emails only.. join FB group.. participate in ever little event we have. The choice is yours.
For more information on how the study works and to sign up, click the PS31 OBS button on the side of this blog. Your life will never be the same!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Why Frightened? Why Doubtful?
"Why are you frightened? Jesus asked.
Why are your hearts filled with doubt?"
Luke 24:38 NLT
This is the memory verse for week 3 of the A Confident Heart (ACH) Bible study I am participating in online. I honestly cannot say it is a verse I would think to memorize and yet, as I took it apart and did a bit of digging God showed me some great application.
The first thing that really hit me was the WHYs.. Jesus did not say Don't be frightened.. Don't have doubtful hearts.. He did not scold or condemn (Romans 8:1 NO Condemnation!).. instead He asked Why? He wanted those doubting.. those frightened.. to stop and look at why they felt this way.. why they were reacting like this. I believe He wants us to do the same. To not just accept our fear and doubts, but to stop and look at WHY we have them. Only when we deal with the why can we get past the fear and doubt.
In fact, I believe it is ok for us to have fear and doubt. The Message version of this verse says "Don't be upset and don't let all these doubting questions take over." We can look throughout the Word and find times where someone doubted. Just read the Psalms or Habakkuk... or what about the Dad in Mark 9 (I believe, Lord help my unbelief!.. Unbelief is a first cousin to doubt.) Again, no condemnation, but a call here to not allow the doubt (and fear) to take over.
So what does that look like? Doubt and Fear taking over? And how do we prevent or remedy it?
When we look at the key words in the verse, we get a bit of insight. Frightened in the Greek is tarasso which means to stir, to agitate, to roll water. Sound familiar? Hop over to James 1 verses 6 through 8.
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
James equates one who doubts to a wave being tossed about on the sea.. rolling water.. agitated.. stirred up.
If we look at a modern day dictionary, we will see that Frighten means to make afraid, to drive or force, panic, scare, terrify. Our fear drives us.. forces us to do or not do things. I spent 8 years captive to fear and panic. Trust me.. in that state you are agitated and stirred up much like that tossing sea.
The opposite of Frighten is reassure.. to restore confidence. And that is exactly what we want and need!
The other key word is really a phrase... "hearts filled with doubt." The King James Version says "thoughts arise in your hearts." The Greek word for Thoughts (translated doubts in our version) is diaglogismos (see dialogue in there?). It means discussion, internal consideration, debate, doubting, imagination, thought. All of this happens where? In the Mind... the Battlefield of the Mind!
The Greek word for heart is kardia and can be translated the heart, but also thoughts, feelings or Mind!
Heart and Mind.. they go hand-in-hand!
Look at a few of the things the Word tells us concerning our hearts and minds...
Romans 12:2.. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind
Ps. 26:2 Examine your heart and mind
Prov. 4:23 Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life
Isa 26:3 You want perfect peace? Keep your Mind steadfast on Him.
Matt. 22:37 Love the Lord with all your heart, soul and mind
Eph. 4:23 be made new in the attitude of your minds
Col. 3:2 Set your mind on things above not on earthly things
Rev. 2:23 I AM He who searched the hearts and minds.
Ps. 86:11 Give me an Undivided heart (remember James 1:8 talks about being double-minded.. I would call that a divided mind)
And when you look at a modern day dictionary you find that doubt (as a noun) means an uncertainty of belief or opinion that often interferes with decision-making, hesitation, lack of confidence, inclination NOT to believe.
Not to Believe! Takes us back to Mark 9:24 when the doubting father says Lord, I Believe, help my unbelief!
To Believe starts in your mind but doesn't end there. It is an ACTIVE verb. Belief brings about action (this is why James says Faith without works is dead.)
So how does this all tie together and what do we do with it? The enemy gets in our head and whispers his lies.. and our flesh latches on and the battle begins.. a debate within our mind over whether or not to trust God..to Believe Him.. and that battle will lead to inaction. The enemy cannot snatch us from the Lord's hand, but he can keep us ineffective and uninvolved... living a dead faith instead of an abundant life! Remember his goal is to Kill, Steal, and Destroy (John 10:10).
To prevent this... or do battle once it starts.. we must.. MUST.. be in the Word AND get the Word in us! There is no other way! We renew our mind... get to KNOW the one we are called to believe so that we can say with Paul.. I know who I have believed and am convinced (confident!) that He is able to guard what I've entrusted to Him for that day. (2 Tim. 1:12)
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
A Confident Heart
Once again I am taking part in a Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study. I cannot recommend participating in these studies enough! You are not required to blog.. really it is a flexible do as much or as little as you can / want type study. To learn more and sign up go to Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study.
We are currently studying Renee Swope's A Confident Heart (another GREAT book!) In it, we are facing out fears and doubts... looking squarely at our past and then moving forward with confidence! And we have only read 5 chapters! I cannot wait to see what is ahead.
I'll be blogging this week (and hopefully others) as part of this study. Come back and see what God is showing me!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Say What????
I am participating in an Online Bible Study through Proverbs 31 Ministries...studying Lysa TerKeurst's book What Happens When Women Say Yes to God. (GREAT BOOK!)
One of the things we are looking at this week is Radical Obedience. You know what I mean. It is fairly easy to obey when God calls you to do "normal" things.. Like that prompting to not sleep in, but to get up and go to church... that sudden need to call a friend and encourage her... even something like taking a meal to someone. Those aren't so outside the box.. they don't stretch your faith.. so they are, for the most part, easy to say Yes to. But then there are those other callings...the ones where you want to look at God and say "Surely you are NOT talking to me!?" Or as we are saying this week in our study "Say What!? God!"
I have had plenty of "Say What" Moments in my life. Some have been huge... like when God called my husband to leave his job... his secure paycheck every month with benefits job... and go... well that was the big catch.. God told him to resign, but didn't say what was coming next. And do you know the man obeyed! And when I wanted to explain to him why this was not a good idea, the Lord sent another "Say What" moment.. He told me to Be Quiet... to Submit to my husband's authority and to trust Him. Can you imagine!?
The amazing thing is I did just that. Although I definitely unloaded my feelings to the Lord about it! And here is the wild thing... God did have it under control. Within 2 days my husband had been offered another job.. out of the blue. Now this would seem a fairy tale ending if I could say it is the perfect job with twice the pay. But again.. God had a "Say What" moment for us. He sent a job, but the pay was less. "Say WHAT!?" And on top to that the man, again, obeyed the Lord and took the job. Once again, God had me be quiet.
And while it has not been easy at times financially, it has been one of the best decisions ever made for our family.. our marriage.. and for my husband.
Other "Say What" moments are not so huge, but can still be a stretch. Many years ago I was in the grocery store. I was an at-home mom with 2 small children. My husband was self-employed. And money was tighter than tight. (That is a reoccurring theme in our lives) I was in the grocery store and I saw a woman. Cannot say why she caught my attention, but it was obvious that she was distressed. She had maybe 2 things in her cart and looked lost as she wandered the aisles. Then I over heard her talking with another lady. It was quickly evident that the young woman was destitute. I thought how sad and moved on. Got to the check out with my own little bit of shopping and heard clearly the Lord say "Go back and give her $10" "Say What!" $10 might not seem much, but at that time we really didn't have it to spare. Plus I thought it would be so awkward.. embarrassing even. Nope, I knew I had misheard. So I proceeded to swipe my debit card and check out. It didn't go through.. tried again.. nope.. all the while I kept hearing "$10".. so the third time I hit cash back and got $10. Debit card worked like a charm. Once I was finished paying and bagging groceries, I went back and found the woman. Walked up to her and said "God told me to give this to you" as I handed her the money. She fell to pieces sobbing and grabbed hold of me right in the middle of Kroger. And guess what.. I didn't care what folks thought. I hugged her back and spoke blessings over her. Now I have no idea if she bought food or something else with that money. What I do know is I had obeyed and I could feel it!
I encourage you to follow through even in the "Say What" moments.. no matter how large or small. With Obedience comes blessing (Deut. 28).. and a faith that is strengthened and nurtured... and a deeper walk with the Lord.
One of the things we are looking at this week is Radical Obedience. You know what I mean. It is fairly easy to obey when God calls you to do "normal" things.. Like that prompting to not sleep in, but to get up and go to church... that sudden need to call a friend and encourage her... even something like taking a meal to someone. Those aren't so outside the box.. they don't stretch your faith.. so they are, for the most part, easy to say Yes to. But then there are those other callings...the ones where you want to look at God and say "Surely you are NOT talking to me!?" Or as we are saying this week in our study "Say What!? God!"
I have had plenty of "Say What" Moments in my life. Some have been huge... like when God called my husband to leave his job... his secure paycheck every month with benefits job... and go... well that was the big catch.. God told him to resign, but didn't say what was coming next. And do you know the man obeyed! And when I wanted to explain to him why this was not a good idea, the Lord sent another "Say What" moment.. He told me to Be Quiet... to Submit to my husband's authority and to trust Him. Can you imagine!?
The amazing thing is I did just that. Although I definitely unloaded my feelings to the Lord about it! And here is the wild thing... God did have it under control. Within 2 days my husband had been offered another job.. out of the blue. Now this would seem a fairy tale ending if I could say it is the perfect job with twice the pay. But again.. God had a "Say What" moment for us. He sent a job, but the pay was less. "Say WHAT!?" And on top to that the man, again, obeyed the Lord and took the job. Once again, God had me be quiet.
And while it has not been easy at times financially, it has been one of the best decisions ever made for our family.. our marriage.. and for my husband.
Other "Say What" moments are not so huge, but can still be a stretch. Many years ago I was in the grocery store. I was an at-home mom with 2 small children. My husband was self-employed. And money was tighter than tight. (That is a reoccurring theme in our lives) I was in the grocery store and I saw a woman. Cannot say why she caught my attention, but it was obvious that she was distressed. She had maybe 2 things in her cart and looked lost as she wandered the aisles. Then I over heard her talking with another lady. It was quickly evident that the young woman was destitute. I thought how sad and moved on. Got to the check out with my own little bit of shopping and heard clearly the Lord say "Go back and give her $10" "Say What!" $10 might not seem much, but at that time we really didn't have it to spare. Plus I thought it would be so awkward.. embarrassing even. Nope, I knew I had misheard. So I proceeded to swipe my debit card and check out. It didn't go through.. tried again.. nope.. all the while I kept hearing "$10".. so the third time I hit cash back and got $10. Debit card worked like a charm. Once I was finished paying and bagging groceries, I went back and found the woman. Walked up to her and said "God told me to give this to you" as I handed her the money. She fell to pieces sobbing and grabbed hold of me right in the middle of Kroger. And guess what.. I didn't care what folks thought. I hugged her back and spoke blessings over her. Now I have no idea if she bought food or something else with that money. What I do know is I had obeyed and I could feel it!
I encourage you to follow through even in the "Say What" moments.. no matter how large or small. With Obedience comes blessing (Deut. 28).. and a faith that is strengthened and nurtured... and a deeper walk with the Lord.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)