MY BIBLES

I bought myself a new Bible.  It's a English Standard Version Ryrie Study Bible.  I like all the study notes, charts, diagrams, and etc. that you get with a Study Bible even though it does increase it's weight and size.  Our pastor uses the ESV and apparently it is supposed to be closest to the original in translation.

I got the genuine leather binding and hopefully my new Bible will  hold up better than my last  which was The Defender Study Bible KJV.  The Defender is the most well-used of all my Bibles.  Nearly every page has verses underlined or highlighted and I have made notes in the margins.  It has been my Bible for the past 15 years, but the pages are literally falling out.  I keep it in a Bible case and still use it often because I know right where to find verses in it. 

Before the Defender KJV, I used the NIV Study Bible.  It was a gift from Larry, Christmas 1990.  I love this one because it is where I recorded our family records like births, deaths, and marriages.  It was also the Bible I used to read through the Bible in a year.

The Bible I used before the NIV was the New American Standard.  It was a gift from our Sunday School teachers when Larry and I were still newlyweds.  It is not a Study Bible, but it has a good concordance and chain references. 

I also have a beautiful blue leather KJV Bible that was a gift from my college roommate, Anna.  It's small and compact, which is probably the reason Phil used it when he was a teenager.  I keep it on my desk at work now and pick it up occasionally when I have time to read.  This was my Bible when I first read through the gospel of John in one setting.  The whole book, from start to finish, and it changed my life.  It was just the beginning of a life-long love for God's Word. 

I can't really say that any one of these Bibles is my favorite.  I have felt the power of the Holy Spirit speaking to me through all of them.  I believe that God's Word is powerful, no matter what translation.  Each of these Bibles has added to the treasury of knowledge of God's Word.  It is through the Bible that we come to know God and what he is like.  It's all in his Word: his love for his creation, his plan of redemption to save us, his sacrificial love in Jesus Christ who gave his life that we might live, his promise of eternal life for all who believe. 

"Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day."  Psalm 119: 97

Solomon, a type of Christ

There are many lessons to be learned from the study of the Old Testament.  Recently, when reading  1Kings, I discovered that Solomon is a type of Christ, or a typology.  A typology is defined by Webster as "a doctrine of theological types; one holding that things in Christian belief are prefigured or symbolized by things in the Old Testament".

Certain elements of Solomon's life are prophetic of Christ's life.  In my reading of 1Kings I discovered six interesting facts about Solomon that pointed to Christ and his ministry in the New Testament. 

1. Chosen by his father (1Kings 1:30).  David had many sons, but only one could be king and David declared that assuredly Solomon would reign after him.  Jesus, too was chosen by his father and declared to be the Son of God at his baptism (Matthew 3:17). 
2. Instructed by his father (1Kings 2:1).  Before he died, David charged his son, Solomon, to carry out his final wishes.  In fact, David had been instructing his son since a child.  We can read these admonitions in the book of Proverbs.  Jesus was always getting away from the crowds so that he could pray and he always did the will of his father (John 5:36).
3. Overcame his enemies (1Kings 2:24).  Solomon carried out his fathers wishes by killing his enemies.  Jesus overcame the enemies of God when he died in our place so that we could be forgiven of our sins and become the children of God  (Romans 5:8-10). 
4. Possessed supernatural wisdom (1Kings 3:28).  The people feared Solomon because they saw that the wisdom of God was in him; there was no one like him.  Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:52).
5. Established peace (1Kings 4:24).  Solomon had peace on all sides round about him and every man dwelt in safety.  Peace prevailed under his rule.  Jesus, too, will one day establish a kingdom of peace that will never end because he is the Prince of peace. 
6. Built the Temple (1Kings 5:5).  Solomon fulfilled his fathers desire to build the Temple in Jerusalem which became the center of Jewish worship.  He wanted to make a place for God to dwell with his people.  Jesus built a spiritual temple of believers who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, therefore becoming the dwelling place of God (Ephesians 2:21-22).

It is exciting to see that the Old Testament and the New Testament compliment one another.  God's Word is complete and there are pictures of Jesus through out.  His message of love can be seen from Genesis to Revelation and his salvation is found from cover to cover.

Even Before I Knew

 In the early morning darkness, I watched as she walked down the steps and to the street where the school bus was waiting.  As it disappeared around the corner, it occurred to me that we hadn't prayed.  In the 45 minutes since the alarm clock went off, we had hurriedly dressed, combed her hair, breakfasted, and checked her backpack for homework.  But in that span of time we had never stopped to thank God for rest or ask his help and direction for the day. 

I quickly offered a prayer for protection for Hannah and then I realize, God has been here all along; his holy angels are ever watching and guarding his little ones.  Once again, I am awed by how wonderful our God is.  He is faithful, even when I am not.  He never forgets me.  He is never too busy or distracted to care for me.  He was thinking of me while I slept.  Each morning he wakes the sun and pushed the darkness away just for me.  He gives me all I need for life, and he does it faithfully every morning.

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."  Deuteronomy 7:9


Rest assured, God is way ahead of us.  He planned for this moment long before I even knew him.  He knows exactly what I need even before I ask.  He is ever working in my behalf to teach me, to lead me, to care for me, and to prepare me for the things that lie ahead. 

"But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."  Romans 5:8

Comforting, isn't it?  Even before I knew I needed a savior, he provided one!

God Speaks Through Trials

Trials!  Ugh....don't you just hate that word!  Nobody in their right mind wants to have trials.  Our trials slow us down, cause us pain and sadness, and frustrate us to no end.  No one is immune either; they are common to us all.  Trials are the stuff-of-life; our path is laden on every side with setbacks and struggles and suffering. 

For years, I have not wanted to admit that suffering is part of the Christian experience.  I would skip over the Bible verses about trials, sweep them under the rug, so to speak.  I believed that my faith in Christ would somehow shield me from suffering, and there is some truth to this idea, because Jesus suffered for us, taking our place when he died on the cross for our sins.  So, there is great comfort in the fact that Christ has paid the just penalty for my sins and I am no longer charged as guilty of those  sins.

A good place to go to find out more about the topic of suffering is the Bible, of course.  One major theme of the book of 1Peter is the willingness of Christians to suffer for Christ's sake.  So, it is there that we will look to find some answers to the problem of suffering.  Here we find that Christ suffered for our sake, to bring us to God (1Peter 3:18).  We learn that Christ's suffering was an example for us to follow (1Peter 2:21) and the trial of our faith is more precious than gold (1Peter1:7).

We can be certain then, that we will have trials.  Experience has proven that I was not exempt from suffering even though my life was hidden in Christ.  Like everyone else, I have had my share of trials and problems to deal with.  These trials and problems were the very "things" that have shaped my life.   "Things" I encountered, like financial woes caused by debt and over-spending, "things" like difficulty in relationships caused by divorce and estrangement and unforgivness, and "things" like the heartbreak of caring for a child with a disability.

Suffering is inevitable because we live in a fallen world.  When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they died as a result of that one act and today we still live under the curse of that one act.  We are born in sin and unless we accept God's salvation through Christ, we will die in sin and be eternally separated from God.

Let's look again at 1Peter 4:12-19; here we find some answers as to why we suffer and how we are to respond to trials whenever they come our way.  We are instructed in verse 12 to think it not strange; to understand that it is normal, something to be expected.  We will encounter persecution and opposition because we have an enemy of our souls and we are engaged in a war between the forces of good and evil.  Our response to suffering, we see in verse 13, is to rejoice because  Christ is glorified in us when we suffer.  This is a reminder to us that even though we live in this world; this world is not our home.  We are to live for the world to come.  We are to invest in the kingdom of heaven.  And we are to lay down our lives for the sake of others.     Finally, in verse 19 we see that our response to trials is to commit the keeping of our souls to him in well-doing.  This is where our faith takes over; we believe that God is in control, that he knows where we are and what we are going through, and he will bring us through it.


Most everyone who has suffered will admit that now, looking back on that time, they can see that God was at work in their life.  God speaks to us through trials; it is at these difficult times that God has our full attention.  We are brought to the end of ourself and we realize that we need his help.  We grow stronger in our faith as we endure,and in time, like gold that is tried by fire, we too are purified and strengthened by the fire of suffering.  The key is to endure; to remain true to Christ, to keep-on, keeping-on.  God is speaking through trials.....but, are we listening?

God Speaks Through His Holy Spirit

In the Listening section of my prayer journal I have written what I like to call my marching orders.  My marching orders are little notes I make to myself during prayer time of the things that I should do, like write a note of encouragement to a friend who is going through a trial or maybe I am reminded to buy Larry a pair of pants or call Melanie and invite her to lunch.  I have learned over the years that these nudges are from the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is one of the ways that God speaks to us.  Jesus told his disciples in John 14 that he was leaving, but he would send the Comforter who will abide with us and teach us and remind of Jesus words.  The Holy Spirit is a gift that has been given to every believer to help us live a life that is pleasing to God.  If you are a believer, you are a child of God and you have the Holy Spirit living inside you and you can learn to listen and hear his voice. 

Whenever I say that the Holy Spirit speaks to me, it's not an audible voice that I hear.  It's more like a thought that comes across my mind.  He may remind me of a scripture that I have read or he may inspire me to reach out to help another,  And all of this takes place in my mind;  ideas, inspiration, discernment, and answers to prayers.

If you are a young Christian you may not have learned to recognize the voice of the Holy Spirit.  But, with practice, you can learn to listen and hear when God speaks through his Holy Spirit.  Quiet yourself before the Lord as we are told to do in Psalm 46:10, "Be still and know that I am God" and then record what you feel he is saying to you.  If it is something that will lead you astray, then it is probably you own thoughts or thoughts from the enemy.  If it is something that agrees with scripture, then you can rest assured it is the voice of the Good Shepherd. 

God will speak to us in these planned moments of quiet, but he is not limited to these times only.  He may speak to you at other times as well.  In 1Kings 19 we have the story of Elijah the prophet when he was fleeing Jezebel who had sworn to kill him.  Elijah is hiding in a cave when the Word of the Lord comes to him.  First, there is a strong wind, then an earthquake, and then a fire, but God does not speak in any of these.  Last of all, there came a still, small voice that spoke to him, encouraging him and giving him instructions.  If you will listen, you too can hear God's still, small voice as he speaks to you through his Holy Spirit.  God is speaking.....Are you listening?

God Speaks Through His Creation

Did you ever see anything so beautiful it made you cry? I've heard the Grand Canyon has that effect on viewers. Maybe it was a sunset, or the mountains, or the night sky that made you stop and stare in wonder and amazement. Our beautiful world has that affect on us at times.


Psalm 19 begins, The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. But what is it that nature tells us about God?
Our world around us is telling us that God is Great. The size of our universe is huge, expanding light years beyond our reach. So our God must be very great since he created it all.

Nature tells us that he is a God of beauty. For he has created a feast for our eyes every where we turn; beautiful forests, magnificent mountains, cascading waterfalls, sugar white beaches, emerald waters, canyons, rivers, hills and valleys. More than we could ever hope see in a lifetime.


When we look at how perfectly ordered Earth's life systems are, we see that God is a god of order. The rainfall, the rivers and streams, the clouds, the wind, the polar ice caps; they all work together in perfect harmony.


Just look at a butterfly or a black-eyed susan or a bird in flight. They all have voices- voices that speak of God's glory. Not voices that we hear with our ears, but voices we hear with our hearts.


Romans 1:20 tells us that we can know what God is like through what he has made. God speaks to us through his creation. He's telling us that he loves us, that he made all this just for us. He made it all so that we would look for him, signs everywhere that point us to God our creator. He speaks in the cleansing rain of forgiveness and he quenches our thirst. The colorful rainbow speaks of his promise to never destroy the earth again by water. His sunlight wakes us, warms us and comforts us. He speaks in the thunderstorm of his wrath and power. And with the changing seasons, he speaks of the Resurrection and new beginnings.  God is speaking.....but are we listening?

God Speaks Through Dreams & Visions

In my last post entitled. God is Speaking.......Are You Listening?  I introduced the many ways that God speaks to us.   One of those ways is through dreams and visions.  Examples can be found throughout scripture of God using dreams and visions to communicate with people. 

Joseph was hated by his brothers we read in Genesis 37 because of his dreams.  He later interpreted the Egyptian king's dream and became second in command of the whole kingdom.  He was able to see into the future and save his people as well as the Egyptians.  God spoke to Joseph through dreams. 

Years later, Daniel also was promoted to second in command by the king of Babylon and was known for his excellent spirit and knowledge and understanding and interpreting of dreams.  Daniel 5:12

Joel's prophecy in Joel 2:28, tells us that the Holy Spirit would be manifest in that your sons and daughters will prophecy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.  This pouring out of the Holy Spirit took place on the Day of Pentecost as seen in Acts 2.  So we can assume that God will speak to us in dreams.


In Matthew chapters 1 & 2 we read that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the child she was carrying was of the Holy Spirit.  And then later after Jesus' birth the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph again in a dream to warn him to take the child to Egypt because Herod was seeking him to kill him. 

On his second missionary journey the apostle Paul had a vision in the night which must have been like a dream.  A man from Macedonia appeared to him, asking him to come over here.  You can read about this vision in Acts 16:9.  Dreams and visions are one of the ways that God speaks to us.  In the case of Paul, God was leading him in the direction that he would have him go. 


 Was God speaking to me when I awoke that morning with the memory of a dream still lingering in my mind?  Maybe.  Perhaps the point of my dream is to remind us that there are people all around us who think that the idea of God speaking to them is crazy; people who need to know that there is a God in heaven who loves them more than they could ever imagine.  Maybe you or someone you know feels out of control and needs desperately for God to pick them up and cradle them in his arms and care for them.  God is speaking through dreams and visions, but are we listening?

God is Speaking............Are You Listening?

This morning my alarm clock awoke me from a dream.  The only dreams we remember are those we have right before waking.  So, since then, I have been putting the pieces together to understand exactly what the dream was about.  In my dream, I was  visiting with a family with several small children.  The mother was concerned about her son who was 4 or 5 years old.  He was misbehaving and seemed out of control.  And she was worried too because he was not eating. 

I went over picked up the boy, cuddling him in my arms and said, "Let's pray about this and find out what God would have us do.  Maybe he will give us insight into the problem and a solution to help the child." 

The little boy looked up at me and laughed.  "God doesn't talk to people," he said, "and everyone would think I was crazy if I said I talked to God." 

The alarm sounded at that moment and as I reached to shut it off, I wondered, "Do people really think I'm crazy whenever I say I talk to God?"

Some people may have a problem with the fact that God is real and that he is involved in our lives.  It may be absurd to them to believe that God hears prayers and speaks to us.  But for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it is a way of life.  They know because they have experienced it for themselves. 

Having a conversation with God starts with faith.  It happens only when you are in a relationship with him, meaning, you have trusted in his son, Jesus Christ for salvation.  You must believe that Jesus is God's son and that he lived a perfect life and that he gave that life as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.  You must rely completely on Jesus to save you  for you cannot save yourself.  Your faith in Jesus makes it possible for you to know God, the Father.  He accepts you into his family and you become his child.  As a child of God you can know that he hears your prayers and he will speak to you by his Holy Spirit who lives inside every believer. 

So how does God speak to us?  God speaks to us in many ways.  He speaks through his creation, through his Word, through his Son, and through his Holy Spirit.  He speaks through Christian media, through people,  through angels, and through dreams and visions.

I thought it would be good to explore some of the many ways that God speaks.  Over the next few weeks I will return to this topic to find out what the Bible has to say about it.  For me, it has been a never ending quest, to hear from God and at times, I have been desperate to hear from him.  And if we know the ways that God speaks to us, then we can learn to listen.

Give Thanks to the Lord; for He is Good

Each morning in my prayer time I have been thinking of one of God's attributes and praising him for it.  I just choose a word that describes God and use it as a tool to worship Him.  For example, God is Sovereign, God is Holy, God is Just, God is Trustworthy.  As I meditate on what that characteristic means, I think of ways that God exemplifies that quality.  It has been a good tool to help me in my daily devotions to know him better and to love him more.

One word that describes God is the word Good.  God is Good.  Goodness is his nature.  Every thing that God does is good.  All of his works are good.  He made the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, "And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good".  (Genesis 1:31)  Not only are the works of creation good, but he shows us his goodness everyday by his provision and care. 

Somehow, I think good is one of those words we use so often we don't attribute it to God.  We use the term loosely in our greeting, "Have a good day".  We say "This pizza is good."  But, when we say, "God is Good", we mean so much more.  God's goodness is entire, flawless, perfect, unblemished, whole, able, authentic, exemplary, benevolent, moral, righteous, and upright. 

Think about it, because God is Good.

Psalm 106:1a  "Praise ye the Lord.  O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good."

JESUS IS

Have you ever heard one of those exhaustive lists of the names of Jesus?  Every time I hear one the Holy Spirit rises up in me and I feel like 'shoutin'.  The preacher starts in Genesis and goes all the way to Revelation speaking the names used to describe Jesus in the Bible.  This week in our Tuesday morning Bible study we started a study of the book of Hebrews.  One of our exercises was to list all the descriptions of Jesus found in Chapter one.  It is quite an impressive list that the writer of Hebrews gives us to establish the supremacy of Jesus over the angels.  In Hebrews 1: 1-14 we read that Jesus is:

•  God's son
• Heir of all things
• The one who made the worlds
• The brightness of God's glory
• The express image of God's person
• The one who upholds all things
• The one who purged our sins
• The one who sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high
• The one who laid the foundations of the earth
• The one who made the heavens
• The one who remains, who is the same, and shall not fail 

Continuing through the book of Hebrews we find other descriptions of who Jesus is.

• In Chapter 2 - He is the Captain of their salvation
• In Chapter 3 - He is the Apostle and High Priest of our profession
• In Chapter 8 - He is the Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle
• In Chapter 9 - He is the Mediator of the new testament
• In Chapter 12 - He is the Author and Finisher of our faith
• In Chapter 13 - He is the Great Shepherd of the sheep

Don't you just love lists; bullet points that make things clear and concise.  We make shopping lists, to-do lists and we use them for evaluation purposes or in making decisions.  A list can be a useful tool.  I felt that it would be beneficial to make my own list of names for Jesus.  Of course, my list is not all inclusive, but simply descriptions of Jesus that I could recall from memory.  Sweet words because it is like worship, yet powerful because of what they represent.  So here goes!  Jesus is:

• The Alpha and Omega
• The Beginning and the End
• Creator
• Provider
• The I AM
• The Sacrificial Lamb
• The Captain of the Host
• The Bread of Heaven
• The Living Water
• Savior
• Redeemer
• Friend of the Sinner
• The Great Physician
• One like a Son of Man
• The Word of Life
• The Way, the Truth, and the Life
• The Light of the world
• Everlasting Lord
• Eternal God
• Begotten, not made
• The Maker of heaven and earth
• The Lord God
• The Suffering Servant
• The One who takes away the sins of the world
• The only Hope of mankind
• The First born from the dead
• The Head of the church
• The soon and coming King
• The Bridegroom
• The Lion of Judah
• The Lamb of God
• Jesus, He  is  Jesus

Omniscient

Omniscient is one of those fancy, theological words that people seldom use and many do not understand.  If it is so difficult to understand, then why even bother to bring it up?  My reason - to challenge you to consider the attributes of God.  For, to know God  is our highest calling, our chief goal in life.

A.W. Tozer, in his book, The Knowledge of the Holy, gives meaning to the word omniscient, "To say that God is omniscient is to say that he possesses perfect knowledge and therefore, has no need to learn.  But it is more; it is to say that God has never learned and cannot learn."

We can add, that nothing escapes his attention.  He is mindful of everything; everything concerning me, everything concerning his kingdom, and yes, everything concerning the world.  He knows all things.  Nothing is hidden from his watchful eye.  My mind is limited.  I only know what I see, what I hear, or what I experience.  God can see in the darkness; he knows the private thoughts of every person.  He is not limited by time, as we are, but sees the past and the future as well as the present.  His word tells us that he knows the number of hairs on my head.  For that matter, he knows my heart rate, my blood pressure, my cholesterol count, you name it, he knows it. God has intimate knowledge of me.  He knows what I will do even before I know I have a choice.

Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways past finding out!  Romans 11:33