50 Day Spiritual Adventure 2016: Week 4

Welcome to Week 4, of this year's 50 Day Spiritual Adventure!  I imagine you are discovering some new things and being reminded of things learned in the past, as you read in the Old and New Testaments. May we never take reading God's Word for granted!  

Below the readings for week 4, I have listed the readings for the previous weeks, in case you are interested or if you have gotten behind.  Please do not get discouraged if you fall behind.  Persevere and keep on reading, this time is not a competition; it is a time to dig into God's Word and learn more about our God who loves the humanity He created.  

What have you learned as you have read during the first three weeks?  For those of you who have read through the Bible multiple times, what new ideas has the Holy Spirit revealed to you? 

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Week 4:  September 18-24, 2016

September 18:  Proverbs 18, Deuteronomy 18, John 2

September 19:  Proverbs 19, Deuteronomy 19, John 3

September 20:  Proverbs 20, Deuteronomy 20, John 4

September 21:  Proverbs 21, Deuteronomy 21, John 5

September 22:  Proverbs 22, Deuteronomy 22, John 6

September 23:  Proverbs 23, Deuteronomy 23, John 7

September 24:  Proverbs 24, Deuteronomy 24, John 8

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Week 3:  September 11-17, 2016

September 11:  Proverbs 11, Deuteronomy 11, Mark 11

September 12:  Proverbs 12, Deuteronomy 12, Mark 12

September 13:  Proverbs 13, Deuteronomy 13, Mark 13

September 14:  Proverbs 14, Deuteronomy 14, Mark 14

September 15:  Proverbs 15, Deuteronomy 15, Mark 15

September 16:  Proverbs 16, Deuteronomy 16, Mark 16

September 17:  Proverbs 17, Deuteronomy 17, John 1

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Week 2:  September 4-10, 2016

September 4:  Proverbs 4, Deuteronomy 4, Mark 4

September 5:  Proverbs 5, Deuteronomy 5, Mark 5

September 6:  Proverbs 6, Deuteronomy 6, Mark 6

September 7:  Proverbs 7, Deuteronomy 7, Mark 7

September 8:  Proverbs 8, Deuteronomy 8, Mark 8

September 9:  Proverbs 9, Deuteronomy 9, Mark 9

September 10:  Proverbs 10, Deuteronomy 10, Mark 10

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Week 1:  September 1-3, 2016

September 1:  Proverbs 1, Deuteronomy 1, Mark 1

September 2:  Proverbs 2, Deuteronomy 2, Mark 2

September 3:  Proverbs 3, Deuteronomy 3, Mark 3

The Danger in Not Studying

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.  (Matthew 22:29 KJV)

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For the last few weeks, we have been considering learning and studying.  Today, we will consider the danger in not studying (a good follow up to last week’s post on how exhausting and wearying much studying is for us as students).

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  

(Hosea 4:6 KJV)

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Realistically, lack of study is every bit as bad as too much.  Moreover, applying what is learned is an important skill to develop.  The ability to apply information learned takes a person to the “next level”, so to speak—using information outside the “classroom”.  (An example of this would be essay exams where students apply, rather the regurgitate information.)   

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.  (Matthew 22:29KJV)

In the words above, Jesus is confronting the Sadducees for their misunderstanding of the Word of God.  The very ones, who should have known the Word, missed what (and Who) right in front of them!  How often is that true of us?

Not learning, not studying, not reading leads us down less than ideal paths; we can err in significant ways.  Nearly any teacher can tell you about students who are highly capable but refuse to study.

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My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.  

(Hosea 4:6 KJV)

We, too, can be guilty of the same behavior, when it comes to reading, studying, and applying the Bible—God’s love letter to us.  The words in Hosea 4:6 frequently come to mind, especially when I am praying for my church, Sunday school classes, as well as fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ.  We harm ourselves by not knowing God’s Word.  It is beautiful to hear God’s Word prayed back to Him.  My hunch is that God smiles when He hears His children praying His Word back to Him.  Praying God’s Word and will is powerful!

The believers in Berea (see Acts 17:10-14) devoted themselves to searching the Scriptures as Paul and Silas shared with them about Jesus and all that He did.  The people of Berea were open to hearing and learning from Paul and Silas; yet they went far beyond that to studying the Scriptures (they only had the Old Testament at this point) for themselves.  We should do the same; there are many false teachers/prophets in the world, luring godly people away from the truth.

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I would like to encourage my readers to spend time daily in God’s Word.  It is time well spent.  For those of you who are part of a church, I encourage you to check out Sunday school options—we grow better together!

*Be sure to check out my 50 Day Adventure readings (Weeks 1-3).  On Sunday, the Scripture readings for the week will be available.*  

What is your favorite book of the Bible?

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Your Word is amazing and provides direction for the whole of life; help us to be diligent about reading, studying, and applying it.  Guide us to know how to find a solid balance between too much study and not enough.  Fill us with a hunger for Your Word.  Direct us to where You desire us to read and study in Your Word.  We deeply desire to know Your Word and Your power.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

50 Spiritual Adventure 2016: Week 3

Welcome to Week 3, of this year's 50 Day Spiritual Adventure!  I imagine you are discovering some new things and being reminded of things learned in the past, as you read in the Old and New Testaments. May we never take reading God's Word for granted!  

Below the readings for week 3, I have listed the readings for the previous weeks, in case you are interested or if you have gotten behind.  Please do not get discouraged if you fall behind.  Persevere and keep on reading, this time is not a competition; it is a time to dig into God's Word and learn more about our God who loves the humanity He created.  

What have you learned as you have read during the first two weeks? 

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Week 3:  September 11-17, 2016

September 11:  Proverbs 11, Deuteronomy 11, Mark 11

September 12:  Proverbs 12, Deuteronomy 12, Mark 12

September 13:  Proverbs 13, Deuteronomy 13, Mark 13

September 14:  Proverbs 14, Deuteronomy 14, Mark 14

September 15:  Proverbs 15, Deuteronomy 15, Mark 15

September 16:  Proverbs 16, Deuteronomy 16, Mark 16

September 17:  Proverbs 17, Deuteronomy 17, John 1

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Week 2:  September 4-10, 2016

September 4:  Proverbs 4, Deuteronomy 4, Mark 4

September 5:  Proverbs 5, Deuteronomy 5, Mark 5

September 6:  Proverbs 6, Deuteronomy 6, Mark 6

September 7:  Proverbs 7, Deuteronomy 7, Mark 7

September 8:  Proverbs 8, Deuteronomy 8, Mark 8

September 9:  Proverbs 9, Deuteronomy 9, Mark 9

September 10:  Proverbs 10, Deuteronomy 10, Mark 10

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Week 1:  September 1-3, 2016

September 1:  Proverbs 1, Deuteronomy 1, Mark 1

September 2:  Proverbs 2, Deuteronomy 2, Mark 2

September 3:  Proverbs 3, Deuteronomy 3, Mark 3

The Labor of Studying

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  (Ecclesiastes 12:12 KJV)

As a new school year gets underway, I am reminded of my time as a student—all the new experiences, meeting new people, and learning new ideas—the experiences that have played a role in who I am today.  At the beginning of a new year there seems to be a sense of possibility—dreaming new dreams, discovering new things about yourself and others.  There seems to be something special about new pencils and new notebooks that harkens to a fresh start full of possibility.  Some students may discover a teacher or other staff member that they seem to “connect” with and a mentoring relationship begins to develop.  While mentoring in the academic or professional sense is important, there is a mentoring that is even more important (and the topic of last week’s post) spiritual mentoring.   

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.  

(Ecclesiastes 12:12 KJV)

How amazingly true are the words written by King Solomon!  Studying does indeed weary the body!  Any thesis or dissertation writer would agree that there is no end to making many "books" and no end to writing many “papers”!  Worldly endeavors encountered as we journey through our school years is most definitely toil—toil that should cause us to feel utterly weary.  However, we will discover that what we do for the Lord is not wearying in the same way.

How or when have you found studying to be wearing?

For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.  (Ecclesiastes 1:18 KJV)

Some students might even agree that with wisdom and knowledge there is sorrow and grief, particularly if God is left out of the equation.  Living in the world, pursuing worldly pleasures and worldly ideals is a sure formula for experiencing grief and sorrow.  Think about all the time and pressures incurred in pursuing a college education—graduation comes and reality sets in that the world is much different than the academe led students to believe.

Kim nearing college graduation, spring 1995

When or where did you discover sorrow and grief in gaining wisdom and knowledge?

The best study we can do is being a student of God’s Word.

As students and teachers start another year of learning and growing together, we too, can renew our commitment to studying the Word of God.  However, we need to do more than simply read and study; we need to apply what we are learning to our lives.  Reading and studying God’s Word really should not exhaust us (at least not in the way we were accustomed to as students elsewhere).

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For those of us who preach, teach, and write about the Word of God, we will be held to a higher standard by Him (see James 3:1); therefore, we would be wise to heed Paul’s admonition to his spiritual son, Timothy:

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)

Do not become weary with too much reading, studying, doing that you neglect sitting quietly waiting on God and His still small voice.  It is here that we find rest for our weariness, a balm for our aching, hurting soul.  In this quiet, secret place as we commune with the Lord and He communes with us, we discover refreshment that our entire beings crave; yet rarely find in this noisy and busy world.  

If you are interested in getting into God’s Word, I encourage you to do so and check out this year’s 50 Day Spiritual Adventure.  (Readings for the week of September 11 will be posted early morning September 11, 2016.)

What portion of Scripture does God have you studying?

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for the most amazing gift of Your Holy Word.  It truly contains all we need to live the life You have given us.  Please give us an ever deepening hunger for Your Word; help us to study it diligently and not grow weary.  Guide us in our study and application of Your Word, so we do not wear ourselves out with much study of things not of You.  For those of us who preach, teach, and write about Your Word, help us to be diligent in our study and to rightly divide the Word of God.  In Jesus’ Name we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

50 Day Spiritual Adventure Week 2

Welcome to Week 2,  the first full week, of this year's 50 Day Spiritual Adventure! I imagine you are discovering some new things and being reminded of things learned in the past, as you read in the Old and New Testaments. May we never take reading God's Word for granted.  

What have you learned as you have read the first three days? 

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Week 2:  September 4-10, 2016

September 4:  Proverbs 4, Deuteronomy 4, Mark 4

September 5:  Proverbs 5, Deuteronomy 5, Mark 5

September 6:  Proverbs 6, Deuteronomy 6, Mark 6

September 7:  Proverbs 7, Deuteronomy 7, Mark 7

September 8:  Proverbs 8, Deuteronomy 8, Mark 8

September 9:  Proverbs 9, Deuteronomy 9, Mark 9

September 10:  Proverbs 10, Deuteronomy 10, Mark 10

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Week 1:  September 1-3, 2016

September 1:  Proverbs 1, Deuteronomy 1, Mark 1

September 2:  Proverbs 2, Deuteronomy 2, Mark 2

September 3:  Proverbs 3, Deuteronomy 3, Mark 3

Spiritual Mentors

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.  (Colossians 2:6-7 KJV)

Yesterday, September 1, 2016, marked the beginning of another school year in my community.  It is a time to meet new people, learn new things, and grow intellectually and socially.  A new school year is a fresh start of sorts, much like the start of a new calendar year or month (or even day!).  This time of year seems to call us back to our school days (no matter how long we have been out of school)—the busy days of summer fun give way to a school year with busyness of its own—hopefully this time will also cause us to desire to return to time in the Word (if we neglected that during the summer).  For some ideas to get started on reading the Word, please see my 50 Day Spiritual Adventure for 2016 (first post appeared September 1, future posts will go up early on Sunday morning September 4-October 16). 

Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.  (Philippians 4:9 KJV)

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God’s Word is full of wisdom for the whole of life.  We are wise to read, study, and apply it to our lives.  Moreover, seeking out a mentor to guide us in our walk is extraordinarily beneficial and assists our spiritual growth.  We grow, too, when we mentor others.  Learning and growing should never end, even when we supposedly reach the end of our student days.  I, along with many others, have discovered that even when we teach, tutor, or mentor that we learn along side the person(s) we are teaching or mentoring.  With all of this in mind, today’s post will take a brief look at mentors and mentoring; currently, I am planning a month long consideration of learning and education.  

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And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.  

(2 Timothy 2:2 KJV)

So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us.

(1 Thessalonians 2:8 KJV)

What is mentoring?  Who is a mentor?  When you pause to consider it, mentoring is seen in both the Old and New Testaments.  For example, Moses had Jethro, Timothy had Paul, and the disciples had Jesus.  The Holy Spirit is our Teacher and Mentor too. 

Simply put, a mentor is:  “someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person.”[1]

For our purposes here, a mentor is also one who is farther ahead on the faith journey than the person he or she is mentoring; the mentor may or may not be chronologically older.

Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.  (Hebrews 13:7 KJV)

I imagine all of us have or had special people in our lives—people who came along side (possibly seeing something of worth in us) and built us up, encouraging us to develop our God given potential.  Mentors truly are special people who freely give of themselves, building into the life of another person.

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.  (Proverbs 27:17 KJV)

For many of us, those people were Christian teachers, coaches, pastors, or mentors who helped us grow in our walk with the Lord.  Mentors really only need a willing heart and be just a bit ahead of the person being mentored.  The benefits of mentoring relationships are priceless.  Ideally, both sides of any mentoring relationship learn and grow together.

And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,

Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.

Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.

And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?

And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.  (Acts 8:27-31 KJV)

Perhaps, you remember the person(s) who led to your decision to invite Jesus into your heart.  What characteristics made this person unique?  What did they have that caused you to seek them out as a mentor?  My guess is—it was not dependent upon looks or money; it was most likely something intangible.  In the verses (above) from Acts, we see Philip, empowered by the Holy Spirit, in a short-term mentoring relationship with an Ethiopian eunuch; leading to the Ethiopian’s salvation.  This spread the gospel into Africa!  Please do not discount the power of one simple meeting.

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.  

(John 14:26 KJV)

Spend some time in the week ahead (and through this month) reflecting on these special people and being thankful.  Just think:  you may be on someone’s list! 

If you think you would like to have mentor, I encourage you to pray and see who God puts on your heart to ask.  Likewise, you may also desire to be a mentor for someone in your life—I encourage you to take the matter to the Lord in prayer and see who He places on your heart.

Who is your mentor?

Who can you mentor?

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.  

(Matthew 28:19-20 KJV)

Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.  

(1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV)

Please join with me in prayer:

Dear Lord, cause us to remember all the special people who have taught and mentored us in our faith.  Thank You for their comment and time spent in preparation, as they guided our faith walk as we matured.  Grant us the wisdom to lead others to Christ and help them grow in their faith, realizing that You are the One who brings about the growth.  Our thankfulness for all we have in Jesus overflows.  In Jesus’ Name, we pray.  Amen.

From My Heart to Yours,

Kim

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[1] From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mentor  

50 Day Spiritual Adventure 2016: Introduction and Week 1 Readings

Welcome to the 50 Day Spiritual Adventure for 2016!  Last year, I shared what ended up being the last year for my now retired pastor to create this reading schedule (he retired in June).  However, I see a benefit for continuing this year, crafting my own version of this time on my blog (using a calendar of readings from several years ago).  To the regular readers of my blog, as well as those here for the first time, I would like to welcome you to join me in a time of delving into God’s Word.

This year’s readings will start on September 1 and end October 20, covering portions of the Old Testament and New Testament.  If you happen to get behind, please do not give up.  Keep on reading and finish when you are able. 

The purpose of this time is to slow down, after a busy summer (if that was the case) and return to God and His Word.  What a better time to get in the Word than the start of the school year (in my community, school starts today, September 1)!  The great thing about God’s Word is that it never grows stale or old.  It is as fresh and relevant today as when it was written.  This is a time to be renewed spiritually.  These fifty days is a time to get back into the Word after a busy summer.

For some, it may be the first time they have really gotten into the Word. Wherever we are in our walk with the Lord, more awaits us.  If you have yet to surrender you heart to Lord, why not do it now?  Check out my blog archives for posts on salvation and what it means to follow Jesus that are available for reading.

Speaking for myself, I have learned and grown from these special times.  As you begin to read these passages, please do not get discouraged if you find yourself struggling, keep on going!

Enjoy getting to know God better through the reading of His Word!  The Bible is God’s love letter to us.  Time spent in the Word is time well spent.

Furthermore, I want to encourage you to join a Bible study in your community to learn and share in a group context.  Sunday school (under a variety of names) is also a place to learn, grow, serve, and care—check it out sometime.

May God Bless you richly as you read His Word!

What are you looking forward to learning as you read God’s Word?

Here is a list of this year’s readings (my plan is to update this list weekly, generally posting on Sunday morning):

Week 1:  September 1-3, 2016

September 1:  Proverbs 1, Deuteronomy 1, Mark 1

September 2:  Proverbs 2, Deuteronomy 2, Mark 2

September 3:  Proverbs 3, Deuteronomy 3, Mark 3