John 4
Tiffany
Learning the Practice of Lectio Divina: John ...

I shared some reflections a few weeks ago. Although I've been a Bible learner and disciple of Christ for many years, I do not yet have this walk figured out. It's filled with missteps and mistakes, and even when I re-read some of my prior posts, I can see how I could have represented the truth more fully and adequately. It is humbling to know that God still brings truth even in our tiny bit of understanding. 


Learning the Practice of Lectio Divina: John 4:11-12
John 4
Tiffany
Intro to John 4: I Am He

Today, we start a Bible study I've refused to write for months. It is a chapter out of my dark soul and a testament to the bright communion God showed me over a long, swarthy night. I know I need to sit still and get some of the messy, messy work God has graciously done down on paper. I dread it and welcome it all in one. 

Intro to John 4: I Am He
Esther
Tiffany
For Such A Time As This: So It Begins!

Let the theatrics begin!

For Such A Time As This: So It Begins!
Old Soul Thoughts
Tiffany
Limitless Service

Anything, God. 

Limitless Service
Romans
Tiffany
Intro to Romans 6, 7, & 8: Facts of Freedom

If I could only choose a few chapters to keep in my Bible, it would include Romans 6-8. They have been the most frustrating chapters (I lacked understanding) and the most liberating (I finally grasped the truth).

Intro to Romans 6, 7, & 8: Facts of Freedom

Exodus 15: Sing a Song to the Lord

This week is a #throwback to when Grace Norberry helped me study Exodus 15. We walked through it verse-by-verse, prayerfully considering the things God was speaking. I’ll preface her comments within the study with “[GN]” after the bullet point so you can note this beautiful young lady’s contributions (she was 10 years old at the time).

Exodus 14a: Be Still

These Bible studies aren’t just for everyone else – they are for me, too. This week, I am going to cover the first half of Exodus 14. It’s really not a long chapter to begin with, but as I was writing, there was one section where I just sensed the Lord wanted us to camp. I know it is an area I need to focus on because it deals with fear, staying strong in the battle, and looking to the Lord. This week, we’ll park for a bit while we learn and apply what the Lord desires to teach.

Meditations from John 15:10: Linking Love and Obedience

This week, there is a tiny but powerful word used: if. First, let’s make it clear that God’s love for us is not conditional. He gave an eternal gift willingly through the death and resurrection of Christ. However, it’s important to note that as believers, there is a link between love and obedience. Christ’s love for us drove Him to action. Love cannot exist without action.  

Meditations from John 15:9: Dwell Richly

The word love – mentioned three times in this single verse – has a powerful root. Love, in this context, translates to agape in the Greek. Agape is unconditional love – it requires nothing in return and abounds in grace (undeserved favor). We could read the verse like this: “As the Father has unconditionally loved Me, so I deeply love you with a love that requires nothing in return. Now dwell richly in My abounding grace.”

Exodus 12b: The Lord Speaks

The first 20 verses of Exodus 12 were instructions from the Lord spoken to Moses. Now, picking up in verse 21, Moses begins to give the same instructions to the people of Israel. I like how we can read exactly what the Lord spoke and then also what Moses relayed to the people. It shows how Moses was very careful in conveying God’s spoken Word to the people. Let’s take a lesson from Moses: listen to what God speaks (and He speaks through His Word) and then share that word with others. Then, let God take care of the rest! 

John 15:8: Glorifying God

So often we try to add to God’s glory through our own efforts. 1 Peter 4:11 says, “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Exodus 10: Hardened Heart or Deep Humility?

"God measures our love for Him by the love we show our brothers and sisters in every day fellowship with them. It is a serious thing to realize that our love for God just isn’t genuine if it fails the test of daily life with our fellow human beings. The same thing is true with humility. It is easy to think we humble ourselves before God. But humility before people is the only real proof that our humility before God is more than just a figment of our imagination. It is the only true evidence that humility has made a home in our hearts and become our nature." - Andrew Murray

Exodus 9: Truth Ignored

The Lord strongly cautions believers about idols because idols are sneaky. The King James Version often refers to idols as “graven images” and that is pretty fitting because idols can start out as good things. But over time, we allow that thing to engrave itself onto our heart. This is why Proverbs 4:23 tells us, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Exodus 8: Puffed Up

Notice what the Lord tells Pharaoh: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. He didn’t tell Pharaoh to let them go so they’d complain less or so they’d get a few extra days of rest; the purpose was to worship. To worship means to credit worth to something. God doesn’t need us to worship Him, but He does desire it. He desires it because when our eyes are focused on Him, we can’t help but be transformed into His likeness.