Tag: Bible

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Something New

judyinthesky91

My first bible was a children’s King James, and I barely read it. The language was a challenge, and I didn’t have anyone in my life back then who knew Jesus enough to help/ encourage me. 

When I really fell in love with Jesus, my best friend said I should get an NIV study Bible, easier language, and notes to explain things as I went.   That Bible is amazing!   It is stuffed with notes,  prayers, questions, coffee stains, a little sand, and even some blood!  (I was in an especially difficult season and got a bloody nose all over the page…. I think Jesus was trying to distract me from my sorrow because it was so ridiculous that I found myself laughing instead of crying,  but that’s a whole different story).

As I matured in my faith,  I heard a guest speaker, Sheri Rose Shepherd,  she loved Jesus so beautifully.   Her gift was (she died May 2023) writing love letters the way God might speak to us.   Her letters were infused into the Thrive Bible, NLT, which is the one I just retired. It has big margins, and my goal was to have notes on every page so my children and theirs could know I was there… sometimes, we can feel alone in our reading, but I pray this legacy gift unites our hearts through the generations. Plus, Sheri’s love letters are breathtaking.

Nearly every page does have notes at this point and the cover is about ready to self-compost, so it seemed like a good time to start fresh.

I went with ESV because that is what my church uses.   It is considered the most “essentially literal” translation to the original language.   I know margins are important for the way I process, and I do like the study notes on occasion. God will have brand new things to show me on these pages.

This Bible is a blank canvas.  I’m not the little girl who didn’t understand.   I’m not the new believer or the one who needed constant reassurance of Jesus’s love.  I’m something brand new, like His promises,  every morning. And I can’t wait to see who Jesus shapes me into on these pages!

“And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to do. ”  Jeremiah 18:4

“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? ”  Isaiah 43:18a

Daily Word

Ephesians

judyinthesky91

Read Ephesians 1:1-2 – Back to book… Back to the Good Book.  Today we are going to return to our reading with the book of Ephesians.  It is in the New Testament.  The New Testament starts with the four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  They covered Jesus’s birth, life, death and resurrection.  Acts comes next and covers the early beginning of the Church, the arrival of the Holy Spirit, Stephen’s death (the first person martyred for the Christian faith), and Saul/Paul’s road to Damascus experience.  Then Romans, Paul’s letter to Rome, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Paul’s letters to the church in Corinth, then the shorter epistles of Galations, EPHESIANS, Philippians and Colossians.  

I learned an acronym GENERAL ELECTRIC POWER COMPANY, to keep these epistles straight.  My friend later taught me the Sunday school method – GO EAT POP CORN; isn’t that cute?  I hope  this is helpful.  I want you to know your way around the Bible as we go.

Ephesians was written by Paul while he was imprisoned in Rome.  If your bible contains an introduction to Ephesians, please read it along with verses :1-2:

“This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.  I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus, who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.”

Paul was chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus… This happened after Jesus’s death, as Paul was on the road to Damascus with the intent to persecute Christians there.  It is an incredible conversion and you can read about it in Acts 9.  

Beloved, we are on a mission with Paul for more grace and peace found in Jesus.  God bless your day.

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Psalm 51

judyinthesky91

Read Psalm 51 –  Remember when David prayed and fasted for his son’s life (2Sam12:16)?  Psalms 51 reveals David’s heart during that time.  David pleads for mercy based on God’s unfailing love and compassion.  He asks the Lord to do something only the Lord can, to blot out his transgressions(51:1-2)   This is what it is to personally communicate with the Lord.   David prays “Create in me a pure heart,” 51:10 And the words that follow melt my heart.  They are Words I can lean into, whenever sin gets the best of me.  David draws on God’s nature.  David’s ego surrendered; his reverence for the Lord shines.  Enjoy David’s heartfelt plea, and consider how you react when you fall…. God desires a broken and contrite heart, surrendered to Him(51:17).🥺🏳🙏🏻

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2 Samuel 11

judyinthesky91

Read 2 Samuel 11 – Success must be guarded.   The ego is a dangerous liar of a friend.   From the first verse we see King David making ego driven choices.  Why didn’t David go to war,  as king’s normally did in the spring (11:1)?  Why did he glance at the women’s bath?   Why didn’t he look away at the sight of one? His glance took her in and he inquired about her(11:2-3)… Let’s shift gears to Urriah.  His integrity is stellar.   He will not delight in the privilege of marriage while his men are camping in open fields(11:11)  David tried getting him drunk so he would go home,  have relations with Bathsheba, and be credited with her pregnancy.  But even drunk,  he would not do it. David has him carry the very note that conspires his death in battle.   He dies. Bathsheba mourns, then moves to the palace and marries David,  then gives birth…. And none of this happened without the Lord’s full knowledge. “The LORD was displeased with what David had done.” (11:27b) It’s horrible, but before we throw any stones,  let’s each examine our own heart. What hidden sin needs to be confessed?   Ask the LORD to search your heart today. 🛀🤰⚰🤦‍♂️

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2 Samuel 9

judyinthesky91

Read 2 Samuel 9 – Did you remember to remember Mephibosheth?  We met him briefly in 2 Sam 4:4, he is the crippled son of Jonathon and living in hiding.  King David asks if there is anyone from Jonathon’s family he can show kindness to, and is told about Mephibosheth.  David summons for him, and he calls himself David’s servant, and bows low to the ground in respect (and perhaps fear – 9:6).  Being crippled meant Mephibosheth was not eligible to be king, yet David treated him with great honor, restoring all the land that had been Sauls to him and insisting that he dine with King David, like one of his own sons.  This segment shines of Jesus’s love, we are not eligible for heaven because of our sin affliction, yet Jesus made a way for us to dine at his table.  He offers us Salvation.  We become adopted into the kingdom of heaven because Jesus died, and rose again, conquering sin and death, covering and restoring us by His sacrifice… so much like Mephibosheth has been redeemed to the kings table, purely by David’s grace.

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2 Samuel 8

judyinthesky91

Read 2 Samuel 8 – War is a hard topic for me and chapter 8 gives a peek into the harsh realities of it.  David has the Lord’s hand of blessing wherever he went (8:6).  He conquered Gath, which subdued the Philistines.  He conquered Moab and cut them down by ⅔.  The remaining ⅓ became subjects to him and paid tribute.  He gained victory over the Euphrates River, capturing chariots, charioteers, foot soldiers and horses.  The Arameans sent back up support to help King Hadadezer fight against Israel, and David killed 22,000 of them.  There are good guys and bad guys in this world, and the truth is, our good guys, like David, need to do some very hard and ugly things to keep it in check.  Also, in 2 Sam 7, David was told he could not build the house for the Ark of God, but here in ch 8:17 we see him dedicating the gifts and precious metals to the LORD… which will one day finance the building.  David does what he can to serve the LORD with the giftedness given to him by God, and offers it right back in dedication.  What gifts, talents and tribute do you possess?   It is good to take stock of what you have and do what you can to glorify the Lord as He created you to do.

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2 Samuel 2

judyinthesky91

Read 2 Samuel 2 – David was a youth tending his father’s sheep when he was first anointed king of Israel… it is now roughly 15 years later; he has been living in the land of Philistia, and he asks the Lord if he should move back.  The Lord directs David to Hebron in Judah.  Note the humility of David to pray and seek God’s will first.  He gives gratitude to those who gave Saul a proper burial, and asks for their loyalty – again, he asks and does not demand.  Meanwhile, Saul’s general, Abner, appoints Isbosheth, king of Israel… the kingdom is divided between Judah and Israel, and a civil war breaks out.  Abner (Israel’s general) retreats.  Joab (Judah’s general) chases them.  Abner asks if they are just going to keep killing one another?  Joab blows the rams horn and the fighting stops.  Civil wars are horrible, and perhaps the very worst is the civil war that rages between the Holy Spirit and our sin nature.  What area of your life is King Self still trying to rule over King Jesus?  Call the cease fire.  Surrender to Jesus’s lead of your life.🙏🏻👑☝️🏳✌👑🙏🏻

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1 Samuel 28

judyinthesky91

Read 1 Samuel 28 – David is called into service by king Achish.  He puts David over his entire security detail, as the kings personal body guard for life.  Saul learns of this impending threat, and makes one more foolish choice.  He continues rejecting the Lord.  Instead of seeking the Lord with repentance, he seeks out a medium to summon Samuel from the dead!  The medium is reluctant and then downright fearful when she realized what she had done.  Samuel is not pleased, but delivers the dismal truth. Have you ever been in trouble and looked everywhere but up? Jesus is RIGHT THERE just waiting to hear from you. ☝️🙏🏻☝️❤🙏🏻☝️🙏🏻

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1 Samuel 25

judyinthesky91

Read 1 Samuel 25 – Samuel… the one Hannah prayed for… the one entrusted to the Lord… the one who never lost his way and appointed king Saul and David at the Lord’s direction… Samuel dies (25:1), yet, his legacy continues through the life of King David. 

Legacy, who made you the person you are and what about you will live on in your loved ones?

  Perhaps David was grieving when he moved down to the wilderness of Maon. The transition of grief is a messy job as a person moves from who they were, walking alongside their loved one, to who they are walking without them. 

Here in Maon, we meet Nabal and Abigail. The bible tells us that Nabal means fool, and he certainly is.  But I love Abigail!  I love how she keeps her wits and does the right thing despite the bad choices of her husband.   Her servants trust her in the face of disaster (25:14-17), and she wastes no time in response.  She humbly approaches David, taking responsibility and reminding David of who he was.  Her actions changed everything; she earned David’s gratitude (25:33), and saved her people from slaughter.  Abigail didn’t let her husbands sloppy life ruin hers. In the end, the Lord rescued Abigail from her difficult marriage and she became the wife of King David.  🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻❤🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

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1 Samuel 24

judyinthesky91

Read 1 Samuel 24 – Humility is strength restrained.  Humility is a fear of the Lord God Almighty that comes before ones human responses.  David’s men interpret Sauls selecting the very cave they were hiding in to relieve himself as a sign from God.  It can be tempting to want something so much that you read circumstances as the Lord’s favor, without giving the matter prayerful discernment.  David doesn’t kill Saul out of reverence for God; Saul was chosen by God and to harm him would be to dishonor the Lord.  David did cut a piece of Saul’s robe – which was culturally considered an extension of a ruler’s royal essence, and this simple act gave David great remorse(24:4-5).  After the king was out of the cave, David called out to him and made him aware of his mercy.  Saul seems to experience true remorse and understanding that David will be king after him.  Does your heart align with David?  Will you live humble?😸🙊💖🙏🏻💖🙊😸