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shepherd with sheep

2023 First 100 days day 23- Wisdom and Praise

First 100 Days – day 23 – January 23

shepherd with sheep

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Wisdom and Praise Collection

Psalms 23, 53, 83, 113, 143 and Proverb 23

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    • Ps 23: a Go To Psalm
      • The Lord is my shepherd;
        there is nothing I lack.
        He lets me lie down in green pastures;
        He leads me beside quiet waters.
        He renews my life;
        He leads me along the right paths[a]
        for His name’s sake.
        Even when I go through the darkest valley,[b]
        I fear no danger,
        for You are with me;
        Your rod and Your staff[c]—they comfort me.
      • You prepare a table before me
        in the presence of my enemies;
        You anoint my head with oil;
        my cup overflows.
        Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me
        all the days of my life,
        and I will dwell in[d] the house of the Lord
        as long as I live.[e]
    • Songs for Psalm 23
  • Psalm 53 Fools
    • Ps 53:1 The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.”
      They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.
      There is no one who does good.
    • Ps 53:2-3 God looking for one who believes
      • God looks down from heaven on the human race
        to see if there is one who is wise,
        one who seeks God.
        All have turned away;
        all alike have become corrupt.
        There is no one who does good,
        not even one.

        • Luke 18:8
          • Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He find that faith[d] on earth?”
        • Hebrews 10:23
          • Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
    • Ps 53:6
      • Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
  • Psalm 83  Prayer for deliverance from enemies
    • Ps 83:1
      • God, do not keep silent.
        Do not be deaf, God; do not be idle.
        See how Your enemies make an uproar;
        those who hate You have acted arrogantly.[a]
    • Ps 83:2-18 complaints and suggestions
  • Psalm 113 Merciful God
    • Ps 113:1-3 Praises
      • Hallelujah!
        Give praise, servants of Yahweh;
        praise the name of Yahweh.
        Let the name of Yahweh be praised
        both now and forever.
        From the rising of the sun to its setting,
        let the name of Yahweh be praised.
      • KJV From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD’S name is to be praised.
    • Ps 113:5-6
      • Who is like Yahweh our God—
        the One enthroned on high,
        who stoops down to look
        on the heavens and the earth?

        • Psalm 73:2
          • Who do I have in heaven but You? And I desire nothing on earth but You.
    • Ps 113:7-8 treatment of poor
      • He raises the poor from the dust
        and lifts the needy from the garbage pile
        in order to seat them with nobles—
        with the nobles of His people.
    • Ps 113: 8 gift to the barren woman
      • He gives the childless woman a household,
        making her the joyful mother of children.
        Hallelujah!
    • Songs for Psalm 113
  • Psalm 143 from David’s Prayer Journal – prayer for deliverance
    • Psalm 143:1-2
      • Lord, hear my prayer.
        In Your faithfulness listen to my plea,
        and in Your righteousness answer me.
        Do not bring Your servant into judgment,
        for no one alive is righteous in Your sight.

    • Ps 142:4
      • My spirit is weak within me;
        my heart is overcome with dismay.
    • Ps 143:5-6 Remembering while praying
      • I remember the days of old;
        I meditate on all You have done;
        I reflect on the work of Your hands.
        I spread out my hands to You;
        I am like parched land before You.Selah
    • Ps 143:7-9 Request
      • Answer me quickly, Lord;
        my spirit fails.
        Don’t hide Your face from me,
        or I will be like those
        going down to the Pit.
        Let me experience
        Your faithful love in the morning,
        for I trust in You.
        Reveal to me the way I should go
        because I long for You.
        Rescue me from my enemies, Lord;
        I come to You for protection.[a]
    • Ps 143:10 prayer for guidance
      • Teach me to do Your will,
        for You are my God.
        May Your gracious Spirit
        lead me on level ground.

        • Psalm 23:3 above
        • Ps 25:4-5
          • Make Your ways known to me, LORD; teach me Your paths.
          • Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.
    • Ps 143:11-12 Summary Request
        • Because of Your name, Yahweh,
          let me live.
          In Your righteousness deliver me from trouble,
          12 and in Your faithful love destroy my enemies.
          Wipe out all those who attack me,
          for I am Your servant.
    • Songs for Psalm 143
  • Proverb 23 – what’s your motive? focus?
    • Pr 23:1-3 don’t be won over by wealth
      • When you sit down to dine with a ruler,
        consider carefully what[a] is before you,
        and put a knife to your throat
        if you have a big[b] appetite;
        don’t desire his choice food,
        for that food is deceptive.
    • Pr 23:4-5 Don’t focus on wealth
      • Don’t wear yourself out to get rich;
        stop giving your attention to it.
        As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,
        for it makes wings for itself
        and flies like an eagle to the sky.

        • Matthew 6:19
          • “Don’t collect for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.
        • Mark 4:18-19
          • 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
        • 1 Timothy 6:9
          • But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, and many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge people into ruin and destruction.
        • Hebrews 13:5
          • Your life should be free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for He Himself has said, I will never leave you or forsake you.
    • Pr 23:12
      • Apply yourself to discipline
        and listen to words of knowledge.

        • Pr 12:1
          • Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.
    • Pr 23:15, 17, 19, 22, 25, 26  – My Son
      • 15 My son, if your heart is wise,
        my heart will indeed rejoice.
      • 19 Listen, my son, and be wise;
        keep your mind on the right course.
      • 25 Let your father and mother have joy,
        and let her who gave birth to you rejoice.
      • 26 My son, give me your heart,
        and let your eyes observe my ways.
    • Pr 23:29-35 the Drunkard
      • 29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow?
        Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
        Who has wounds for no reason?
        Who has red eyes?
      • 35 “They struck me, but[h] I feel no pain!
        They beat me, but I didn’t know it!
        When will I wake up?
        I’ll look for another drink.”

~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2023 First 100 days – day 22 – Wisdom and Praise

2023 First 100 Days – day 22 – January 22

Image by Yerson Retamal from Pixabay

Wisdom and Praise Collection

Psalm 22, 52, 82, 112, 142 and Proverb 22

Messiah, Mighty Men, Place of the Gods, Hallelujah, and then – Prayer for the Distressed.

Proverbs has some interesting tidbits.

Let’s Dig In!

  • Psalm 22 – Jesus’s Psalm on the Cross
    • Ps 22:1 
    • Ps 22:7
    • Ps 22:8
      • “He relies on[d] the Lord;
        let Him rescue him;
        let the Lord[e] deliver him,
        since He takes pleasure in him.”
      • Matt 27:43
    • Ps 22:12-13
      • Many bulls surround me;
        strong ones of Bashan encircle me.
        13 They open their mouths against me—
        lions, mauling and roaring.
      • Luke 21:20,
    • Ps 22:1-21 article by Witness Lee
    • Ps 22:22-31 Praises
      • 25 I will give praise[k] in the great congregation
        because of You;
        I will fulfill my vows
        before those who fear You.[l]
        26 The humble[m] will eat and be satisfied;
        those who seek the Lord will praise Him.
        May your hearts live forever!
  • Ps 52 – The Pride of a Mighty Man
    • Ps 52:1-7
      • Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
      • The tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
      • Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
      • Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
    • Ps 51:8-9 blessing of him that trusts in God
      • But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
      • I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
    • Songs for Psalm 52
  • Psalm 82 – a place of gods
    • Ps 82:1
      • God has taken His place in the divine assembly;
        He judges among the gods:[a]
    • Ps 82:2-4
      • God’s instruction to “gods” – good for government and leaders, too
        • “How long will you judge unjustly
          and show partiality to the wicked?Selah
          Provide justice for the needy and the fatherless;
          uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
          Rescue the poor and needy;
          save them from the power of the wicked.”
    • Ps 82:8
      • Rise up, God, judge the earth,
        for all the nations belong to You.
  • Psalm 112 
    • Ps 112:1
      • Hallelujah![a]
        Happy is the man who fears the Lord,
        taking great delight in His commands.
    • Ps 112:4
      • Light shines in the darkness for the upright.
        He is gracious, compassionate, and righteous.
    • Ps 112:7-8 assurance
      • He will not fear bad news;
        his heart is confident, trusting in the Lord.
        His heart is assured; he will not fear.
        In the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
    • Songs for Ps 112
  • Psalm 142 David’s Prayer Journal – distress and deliverance
    • Ps 142:1-3
      • I cry aloud to the Lord;
        I plead aloud to the Lord for mercy.
        I pour out my complaint before Him;
        I reveal my trouble to Him.
        Although my spirit is weak within me,
        You know my way.
    • Ps 142:5-6
      • I cry to You, Lord;
        I say, “You are my shelter,
        my portion in the land of the living.”
        Listen to my cry,
        for I am very weak.
        Rescue me from those who pursue me,
        for they are too strong for me.
  • Proverb 22
    • Pr 22:1 Go To
      • A good name is to be chosen over great wealth;
        favor is better than silver and gold.
    • Pr 22:4 Go To
      • The result of humility is fear of the Lord,
        along with wealth, honor, and life.
    • Pr 22:6
      • Teach a youth about the way he should go;
        even when he is old he will not depart from it.
    • Pr 22:9
      • A generous person[c] will be blessed,
        for he shares his food with the poor.
    • Pr 22:10
      • Drive out a mocker, and conflict goes too;
        then quarreling and dishonor will cease.
    • Pr 22:17-18
      • Listen closely,[d] pay attention to the words of the wise,
        and apply your mind to my knowledge.
        18 For it is pleasing if you keep them within you
        and if[e] they are constantly on your lips.
    • Pr 22:24-25
      • Don’t make friends with an angry man,[h]
        and don’t be a companion of a hot-tempered man,
        25 or you will learn his ways
        and entangle yourself in a snare.

~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

smile

2023 The First 100 days – day 21 – Wisdom and Praise

2023 The first 100 days – wisdom and praise – January 21

smile

Image by Giulia Marotta from Pixabay

Wisdom and Praise Collection

Psalms 21, 51, 81, 111, 141 and Proverb 21

Most of today’s Psalms deal with Praise and so there is a great and joyful theme.  Two deal with crying out for repentance, one leading to praise and the other leading to a request.

Proverbs is dealing with wicked and the righteous, nagging wives and pride.  There’s some Go To verses in here.

Let’s dig in!

  • Psalm 21 – Joy and Praise
  • Psalm 51 KJV – Repentance
    • Ps 51:1-3
      • 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
      •  2Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
      • 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
        • Hosea 14:2
          • Bring your confessions and return to the LORD. Say to Him: “Take away all our iniquity and receive us graciously, that we may present the fruit of our lips.
        • Acts 3:19-21 NIV 
          • 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus. 21 Heaven must receive him until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets
        • Colossians 2:13-14 NIV
          • 13 When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you[a] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
        • Psalm 4:1
          • Answer me when I call, God, who vindicates me. You freed me from affliction; be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
    • Ps 51:4 The truth of whom we sin against
      • Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
    • Ps 51:5 original sin discussion point
      •  Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
    • Ps 51:6
      • Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
        • Proverb 2:6 
          • For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
        • James 1:5
          • Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.
        • Proverb 8:5
          • You who are simple, gain prudence; you who are foolish, set your hearts on it.
        • Revelation 21:8
          • But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
        • Romans 8:5
          • Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
    • Ps 51:7-12 the cry for repentance and forgiveness
    • Ps 51:13 Evidence of change
      • 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
    • Ps 51:14-15 Prayer for deliverance
      • Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
      • O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
    • Ps 51:16-17 Not sacrifices, but a clean heart
      • 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
      • 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
        • 1 Sam 15:22, 2 Kings 22:19,  Psalm 147:3
        • Ps 34:17-18
          • The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
                he delivers them from all their troubles.
            18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
                and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
    • Ps 51:18-19 the Conclusion
      • 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
      • 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.
    • a few Songs for Psalm 51
  • Psalm 81 NIV – Joy and Praise
    • Ps 81:1-2
      • Sing for joy to God our strength;
            shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
        Begin the music, strike the timbrel,
            play the melodious harp and lyre.
    • Ps 81:3-4 Ordained Celebrations
      • Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,
            and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
        this is a decree for Israel,
            an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
    • Ps 81:6-7 affected deliverance
      • “I removed the burden from their shoulders;
            their hands were set free from the basket.
        In your distress you called and I rescued you,
            I answered you out of a thundercloud;
            I tested you at the waters of Meribah.[c]
    • Ps 81:8-10 Promises …
      • Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—
            if you would only listen to me, Israel!
        You shall have no foreign god among you;
            you shall not worship any god other than me.
        10 I am the Lord your God,
            who brought you up out of Egypt.
        Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.
    • Ps 81:11-12 … and failure
      • But my people would not listen to me;
            Israel would not submit to me.
        12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
            to follow their own devices.

        • Acts 14:16
          • In past generations He allowed all the nations to go their own way,
        • Micah 4:5 
          • Though all the peoples each walk in the name of their gods, we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.
        • R0mans 1:28 
          • And because they did not think it worthwhile to acknowledge God, God delivered them over to a worthless mind to do what is morally wrong.
        • Job 21:14
          • Yet they say to God: “Leave us alone! We don’t want to know Your ways.
    • Ps 81:13-16 God’s plea with His people
      • “If my people would only listen to me,
            if Israel would only follow my ways,
    • Songs for Psalm 81
  • Psalm 111 – Psalm of Praise
  • prayer

    Image by reenablack from Pixabay

    Psalm 141 – Psalm of repentance From David’s Prayer Journal

    • Ps 141:1-2 
      • Lord, I call on You; hurry to help me.
        Listen to my voice when I call on You.
        May my prayer be set before You as incense,
        the raising of my hands as the evening offering.
    • Ps 141:3 Go To Verse; Wisdom and Praise 18
      • Lord, set up a guard for my mouth;
        keep watch at the door of my lips.

        • James 1:26
          • If anyone thinks he is religious without controlling his tongue, then his religion is useless and he deceives himself.
        • Ps 34:13
          • Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.
        • Pr 13:3
          • The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.
            • “It’s better to keep silent and let other’s think you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt”
        • Ps 39:1
          •  I said, “I will guard my ways so that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
    • Ps 141:4-6 yielding to discipline
      • 5 Let the righteous one strike me—
        it is an act of faithful love;
        let him rebuke me—
        it is oil for my head;
        let me[a] not refuse it.
    • Ps 141:8-10 Prayer for protection from Sin
      • But my eyes look to You, Lord God.
        I seek refuge in You; do not let me die.[f]
        Protect me from[g] the trap they have set for me,
        and from the snares of evildoers.
        10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
        while I pass by safely.
  • Proverb 21 wicked, nagging, pride, and other such sins
    • Pr 21:2
        • All a man’s ways seem right to him,
          but the Lord evaluates the motives.[a]

    • Pr 21:3
      • Doing what is righteous and just
        is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

          • Isaiah 1:11
            • “What are all your sacrifices to Me?”
              asks the Lord.
              “I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
              and the fat of well-fed cattle;
              I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
              lambs, or male goats.
          • Ps 40:6
            • You do not delight in sacrifice and offering; You open my ears to listen. You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.
          • Psalm 51:16-17 
            • You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
              You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
              17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is[a] a broken spirit.
              God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
          • Hosea 6:6
            • For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
          • Matthew 9:13
            • Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
          • Romans 12:1
            • Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
          • Hebrews 13:15
            • Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.
          • Psalms 69:30-32
            • I will praise God’s name with song
              and exalt Him with thanksgiving.
              31 That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
              more than a bull with horns and hooves.
              32 The humble will see it and rejoice.
              You who seek God, take heart!
    • Pr 21:5 Plans of man vs plans of God
      • The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
        but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.

        • 1 Samuel 2:9
          • He guards the steps of His faithful ones, but the wicked perish in darkness, for a man does not prevail by his own strength.
        • Ps 37:23 
          • A man’s steps are established by the LORD, and He takes pleasure in his way.
        • Ps 37:31 NIV
          • The law of their God is in their hearts; their feet do not slip.
    • Pr 21:13 Generosity
      • The one who shuts his ears to the cry of the poor
        will himself also call out and not be answered.

        • James 2:13 NLT
          • There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
        • Matthew 5:7NIV
          • Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
    • Pr 21:17
      • The one who loves pleasure will become a poor man;
        whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich.
    • Pr 21:21
      • The one who pursues righteousness and faithful love
        will find life, righteousness, and honor.

        • Matt 5:6 
          • Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness are blessed, for they will be filled.
        • Pr 15:9
          • The LORD detests the way of the wicked, but He loves the one who pursues righteousness.
    • Pr 21:23
      • The one who guards his mouth and tongue
        keeps himself out of trouble.
      • see Psalm 141:3 above
    • Pr 21:31
      • A horse is prepared for the day of battle,
        but victory comes from the Lord.

        • Ps 20:7 NIV
          • Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
        • Ps 33:17
          • The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.
        • Jer 17:5
          • This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the LORD.

~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2023 The First 100 days – day 20 – Wisdom and Praise

2023 First 100 days – Wisdom and Praise January 20

Wisdom and Praise Collection

Psalms 20, 50, 80, 110, 140 and Proverb 20

Today’s readings have a couple of prayers, a song I sing, God describing Himself, and Proverbs insights into life.  We touch on the Lord’s second coming.

In addition, it has a beautiful Messianic Psalm that is used to herald in Christ as the King.

Let’s dig in!

  • Psalm 20 Prayer and Proclamation
    • Ps 20:1-5 Prayer for others, great outline for prayer time.
      • May Yahweh answer you in a day of trouble;
        may the name of Jacob’s God protect you.
        May He send you help from the sanctuary
        and sustain you from Zion.
        May He remember all your offerings
        and accept your burnt offering.Selah
      • May He give you what your heart desires
        and fulfill your whole purpose.
        Let us shout for joy at your victory
        and lift the banner in the name of our God.
        May Yahweh fulfill all your requests.
      • Ps 51:16
        • You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it; You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
      • 1 Sam 15:20
        • Then Samuel said: Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.
      • Hebrews 10 – a study about sacrifices and offerings
    • Songs for first part of Psalm 40
    • Ps 20:6-8 KJV a song
      • 7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.
      •  6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.
      • 8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright.
    • Songs for Psalm 20
  • Psalm 50 – God Speaks
    • Ps 50:1, 5, 7
      • Yahweh, the God of gods[a] speaks;
        He summons the earth from east to west.[b]
      • “Gather My faithful ones to Me,
        those who made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.”
      • “Listen, My people, and I will speak;
        I will testify against you, Israel.
        I am God, your God.
    • Psalm 50:2 God’s beauty
      • From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
        God appears in radiance.[c]
      • Psalm 48:1-2
        • The Lord is great and highly praised
          in the city of our God.
          His holy mountain, rising splendidly,
          is the joy of the whole earth.
          Mount Zion on the slopes of the north
          is the city of the great King.
      • Ps 80:1
        • Listen, Shepherd of Israel, who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned on the cherubim, rise up
    • Ps 50:6
      • The heavens proclaim His righteousness,
        for God is the Judge.Selah
      • Psalm 19:1
        • The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
      • Psalm 89:5
        • LORD, the heavens praise Your wonders— Your faithfulness also— in the assembly of the holy ones.
    • Ps 50:8-15 God prefers a relationship over sacrifice and offering
      • Isaiah 1:11
        • “What are all your sacrifices to Me?”
          asks the Lord.
          “I have had enough of burnt offerings and rams
          and the fat of well-fed cattle;
          I have no desire for the blood of bulls,
          lambs, or male goats.
      • Ps 40:6
        • You do not delight in sacrifice and offering; You open my ears to listen. You do not ask for a whole burnt offering or a sin offering.
      • Psalm 51:16-17 
        • You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
          You are not pleased with a burnt offering.
          17 The sacrifice pleasing to God is[a] a broken spirit.
          God, You will not despise a broken and humbled heart.
      • Hosea 6:6
        • For I desire loyalty and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
      • Matthew 9:13
        • Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
      • Romans 12:1
        • Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.
      • Hebrews 13:15
        • Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name.
      • Psalms 69:30-32
        • I will praise God’s name with song
          and exalt Him with thanksgiving.
          31 That will please Yahweh more than an ox,
          more than a bull with horns and hooves.
          32 The humble will see it and rejoice.
          You who seek God, take heart!
    • Ps 50:16-21 The fruit 0f wickedness, God not blind
      • 21 You have done these things, and I kept silent;
        you thought I was just like you.
        But I will rebuke you
        and lay out the case before you.[f]
    • Ps 50:23 The Conclusion of the Matter
      • Whoever sacrifices a thank offering honors Me,
        and whoever orders his conduct,
        I will show him the salvation of God.”
  • young woman with blonde hair sitting at a tree playing guitar

    Image by Sam Williams from Pixabay

    Psalm 80 Song for deliverance

    • Ps 80:1
      • Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
        who leads Joseph like a flock; You who sit enthroned on the cherubim,
        rise up

    • Ps 80:3, 7, 14
      • Restore us, God;
        look on us with favor,
        and we will be saved.
      • Restore us, God of Hosts;
        look on us with favor, and we will be saved.
      • Return, God of Hosts.
        Look down from heaven and see;
        take care of this vine,
    • Ps 80:19
      • Restore us, Yahweh, the God of Hosts;
        look on us with favor, and we will be saved.

        • Jeremiah 3:22
          • Return, you faithless children. I will heal your unfaithfulness. “Here we are, coming to You, for You are the LORD our God.
  • Psalm 110 Messianic Psalm and 2nd coming
    • Ps 110:1
    • Ps 110:3
      • Your people will volunteer on Your day of battle. In holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, the dew of Your youth belongs to You.
    • Ps 110:4 
      • The Lord has sworn an oath and will not take it back:
        “Forever, You are a priest
        like Melchizedek.”

    • Ps 110:5-7 the final day
      • The Lord is at Your right hand;
        He will crush kings on the day of His anger.

        • Rev 6:17; Rev 11:18, Psalm 2:9
        • Micah 4:1
          • In the last days
            the mountain of the Lord’s house
            will be established
            at the top of the mountains
            and will be raised above the hills.
            Peoples will stream to it,
        • Micah 4:3
          • He will settle disputes among many peoples
            and provide arbitration for strong nations
            that are far away.
            They will beat their swords into plows,
            and their spears into pruning knives.
            Nation will not take up the sword against nation,
            and they will never again train for war.
  • Psalm 140 – a prayer of David for deliverance
    • Ps 140:1
      • Rescue me, Lord, from evil men.
        Keep me safe from violent men
    • Ps 140:4
      • Protect me, Lord,
        from the clutches of the wicked.
        Keep me safe from violent men
        who plan to make me stumble.[a]

        • 2 Sam22:49; Ps 18:48; Ps 59:2, Ps 71:4; Ps 119:170
    • Ps 140:6-7 declaration of faith
      • I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
        Listen, Lord, to my cry for help.
        Lord God, my strong Savior,
        You shield my head on the day of battle.

        • Ps 28:2, Ps 16:2, Ps 118:28
    • Ps 140:12-13
      • I[d] know that the Lord upholds
        the just cause of the poor,
        justice for the needy.
        13 Surely the righteous will praise Your name;
        the upright will live in Your presence.

        • God is righteous and loves justice
          • Ps 11:7, Ps 16:11, Ps 17:15, Ps 97:12, 1 Kings 8:45-49, Ps 9:4, Ps 12:5, Ps 82:3
  • Open Bible, Proverbs, sunglass pink heart

    Image by 15299 from Pixabay

    Proverb 20

    • Pr 20:1 moderation, control
      • Wine is a mocker, beer is a brawler,
        and whoever staggers because of them is not wise.
    • Pr 20:3 Peaceful
      • It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute,
        but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.
      • Pr 15:1
        • A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath
      • Pr 17:14
        • To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.
      • Pr 26:21
        • As charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.
      • Pr 16:32KJV
        • He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
      • Pr 14:29KJV  He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
    • Pr 20:7 Integrity and righteousness Go To Verse
      • The one who lives with integrity is righteous;
        his children[c] who come after him will be happy.

        • Ps 37:26
          • He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing.
    • Pr 20:12
      • The hearing ear and the seeing eye—
        the Lord made them both.
    • Pr 20:22
      • Don’t say, “I will avenge this evil!”
        Wait on the Lord, and He will rescue you.

        • Rom 12:14; 17-21
          • 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
          • 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18 If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19 Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His[c] wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay,[d] says the Lord. 20 But If your enemy is hungry, feed him.  If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing  you will be heaping fiery coals on his head.[e]21 Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good>
    • Pr 20:24 Go To Verse
      • A man’s steps are determined by the Lord,
        so how can anyone understand his own way?

        • Ps 37:23 AMP  The steps of a [good and righteous] man are directed and established by the LORD, And He delights in his way [and blesses his path].
        • Psalm 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will show him the way he should choose.
        • Ps 32:8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel.
    • Pr 20:27
      • The Lord’s lamp sheds light on a person’s life,[g]
        searching the innermost parts.[h]

        • Ps 119: 105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.
    • clock, scrabble letters, that say grayhair is a crownPr 20:29
    • The glory of young men is their strength,
      and the splendor of old men is gray hair.

 

 

~~~~~~~

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links:

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

2023 First 100 days – day 5 Reading Wisdom and Praise

2023 First 100 Days, Day 5, January 5

Image by Pexels from Pixabay


Wisdom and Praise Reading
Psalm 5, 35, 65, 95, 125 and Proverbs 5

Today, there is a lot about praying, and settling your mind, or setting your heart for the attitude of the day.  There is continued praying. Many of these are David’s prayer journal entries.  We can learn about heart attitudes from them, and take verses to strengthen our hearts in times of trial, depression and despair, as well as how to find joy in every situation and detail of life.

  •  Psalm 5 – Again, Crying out to God to be heard
    • Day 2, Day 3, Day 4
    • Psalm 5:1-2 Cry out
      • Listen to my words, Lord;
        consider my sighing.
        Pay attention to the sound of my cry,
        my King and my God,
        for I pray to You.
    • Psalm 5:3 Confession of faith
      • At daybreak, Lord, You hear my voice;
        at daybreak I plead my case to You and watch expectantly.
    • Psalm 5:4-6 listing things that come between us and God
    • Psalm 5:7 declaring that we can enter in
      • But I enter Your house
        by the abundance of Your faithful love;
        I bow down toward Your holy temple
        in reverential awe of You.
    • Psalm 5 continues with a request to be led in righteousness
    • Psalm 5:11-12 declaration of faith
      • But let all who take refuge in You rejoice;
        let them shout for joy forever.
        May You shelter them,
        and may those who love Your name boast about You.
        12 For You, Lord, bless the righteous one;
        You surround him with favor like a shield.
  • Psalm 35 – A longer Psalm, again, from David’s Prayer Journal
    • Psalm 35: 1-8 Prayers for deliverance and a defender
      • 1 – Oppose my opponents, Lord;
        fight those who fight me.
    • Psalm 35: 9-10 Declaring victory
      • Then I will rejoice in the Lord;
        I will delight in His deliverance.
        10 My very bones will say,
        Lord, who is like You,
        rescuing the poor from one too strong for him,
        the poor or the needy from one who robs him?”
    • Psalm 35:13-14 an attitude towards our enemies
      • Prayer – 
      • when prayer is not answered, go to fasting
      • FOR OUR ENEMIES – do we do this for our family and friends?
    • Psalm 35:18 – a “go to” verse to declare in times of trouble
      • I will praise You in the great congregation;
        I will exalt You among many people.
    • Psalm 35:28 – a “go to” verse to declare to the Lord
      • And my tongue will proclaim Your righteousness,
        Your praise all day long.
    • Psalm 65 – sort of follows the Our Father – 
      • Matthew 6:9 -13 (RSV)
        •  Pray then like this:

          Our Father who art in heaven,
          Hallowed be thy name.
          10 Thy kingdom come,
          Thy will be done,
              On earth as it is in heaven.
          11 Give us this day our daily bread;[a]
          12 And forgive us our debts,
              As we also have forgiven our debtors;
          13 And lead us not into temptation,
              But deliver us from evil.[b]

        • Psalm 65: 1 – Our Father who art in Heaven
          • Praise is rightfully Yours,[a]
            God, in Zion;
            vows to You will be fulfilled.
        • Psalm 65:2 Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on earth
          • All humanity will come to You,
            the One who hears prayer.
        • Psalm 65:3 forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
          • Iniquities overwhelm me;
            only You can atone for[b] our rebellions.
        • Psalm 65:4 Give us this day our daily bread & thy Kingdom come on earth
          • How happy is the one You choose
            and bring near to live in Your courts!
            We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house,
            the holiness of Your temple.[c]
        • Psalm 65 5-13 is a declaration of the Creator God
    • Psalm 95 the first 7 verses are a song that I have sung, but I cannot find the music.  So I will share several that I have found:
      • Psalm 95:8-11  God pleading to man to come to Him
        • Hebrews 3:13
          • But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
        • Romans 2:5
          • But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
    • Psalm 125 – a song 
      • Ps 125:1-2 a Song, I sing on the video above. Here are other optios
      • Psalm 125:4-5 a Prayer
        • Do what is good, Lord, to the good,

          to those whose hearts are upright.
          But as for those who turn aside to crooked ways,
          the Lord will banish them with the evildoers.

          Peace be with Israel.

           

Proverbs 5 – counsel to avoid the wicked woman – or to avoid being with an adulteress, and to avoid being unfaithful.  It describes the suffering that happens when one is loose with their sexual self.

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

There are many things in today’s readings. Some “go to” verses. Some songs. Prayers. Declarations of Faith. And then, counsel to keep yourself pure, and faithful. I hope that this has tweaked or tickled your mind on these readings and that you have found something from today to take with you, for now and forever.

 

Hi! My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey, In His hands and under His wings, ~Christi Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear. If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation. If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” – from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Titus 2a

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

For Chapter One, I utilized a video series from Right Now media. You can get that information from one of the previous studies.

Itty Bitty Bible Study Titus 1:6-9

Titus chapter two, follows Titus chapter one. I know, that’s pretty simple. When the letter was written, there were no chapters and verses. Those were added later to assist us in some way. For more information, check out Wikipedia about why there are chapters and verses!

Why do I bring that up?
Because, Titus 2:1 starts with “but”

Titus 2:1 King James Version (KJV)
2 But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

But what?
It refers back to the preceeding passages in Titus 1:9-16.
Titus 1:9-16 King James Version (KJV)
Specifically, talking to the wise old men:

9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

and those that are not wise old men:

14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

IBBS Titus 1:10-16 talks about the not so wise old men.
IBBS Titus 1:6-9 talks about the qualifications of elders, or those that choose to be a light to the world – those of us who are called to be ambassadors!

Let’s put Titus 1:9, 16 with Titus 2:1

1: 9 Holding fast the faithful word as he(wise believers) hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.
1:16 They(the gainsayers) profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
2:1 But speak thou(wise believers) the things which become sound doctrine:
italics mine

Now, onto chapter 2.

Titus 2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Sound Teaching and Christian Living
2:1 But you must say the things that are consistent with sound teaching.
2 Older men are to be level headed, worthy of respect, sensible, and sound in faith, love, and endurance.
3 In the same way, older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not addicted to much wine. They are to teach what is good, 4 so they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, homemakers, kind, and submissive to their husbands, so that God’s message will not be slandered.

6 In the same way, encourage the young men to be self-controlled 7 in everything. Make yourself an example of good works with integrity and dignity[a] in your teaching. 8 Your message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.

9 Slaves are to be submissive to their masters in everything, and to be well-pleasing, not talking back 10 or stealing, but demonstrating utter faithfulness, so that they may adorn the teaching of God our Savior in everything.

11 For the grace of God has appeared with salvation[b] for all people, 12 instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. 14 He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works.

15 Say these things, and encourage and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard[c] you.

Let’s Dig In!

Titus 2.1 But Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.

What’s the point of sound doctrine?
We are ambassadors to the word of God. Our lives should reflect our relationship with Jesus Christ, and our words should reflect our understanding of the doctrine of salvation.

I have an Itty Bitty Bible Study Post, Titus 1:6-9 about being an ambassador.

The Bible seems to support the concept of “adulting”.

OLD MEN…AGED

Titus 2:2 Aged man. There are other verses that mention about aged men. The point is that as we age we are supposed to become more responsible. Apparently, unlike the animals grow from infant to young adult to being self managing adults in the wild, human beings need to be taught how to be a respectable, responsible adult.

Titus 2:2 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
2 Older men are to be
level headed,
worthy of respect,
sensible, and
sound in faith,
love, and
endurance.

Mentoring – some verses that point to the expectation!

And another!

OLD WOMEN – AGED

Titus 2:3-4 Likewise, teach the older women
to be reverent in the way they live,
not to be slanderers
or addicted to much wine,
but to teach what is good.
Then they can urge the younger women
to love their husbands and children,
Titus 2:3‭-‬4 NIV

I find it interesting that the main responsibility for aged women, aside from character is to teach what is good. Now in this verse it doesn’t say only teach women, or only teach children, but I’m just pointing that out. The other primary goal for an aged woman is to urge younger women to love their husbands and their children.?

I’m going to share a little bit of my own thoughts about an aged woman urging others to love their husbands.

My husband and I have been married since 1980. We have 5 children.

We married when we were 19 and 20. We were a young man and a young woman. The keyword is young!

To say that we did not understand each other or how to communicate would be an understatement. We did go through premarital counseling through 2 different churches. That’s supposed to be the guarantee that you are of like mind enough to at least start out the marriage peacefully right?

Along comes the honeymoon.
Jim had no idea how long it would take for me to get dressed and ready to go out to a fine dinner. This was one of our 1st clashes. And James defense, is 1 of 3 boys with a mom who’s only Preparation for a fine dinner is to put on some lipstick. She also never really went in for dressing nice except for one wedding, but even then I’m pretty sure her outfit was very simply put on, her hair dried naturally perfect, and of course the lipstick . Jim had no idea that it might take someone an hour to get ready to go somewhere! And his experience with me as we were dating was I was always ready on time or 10 minutes early. We just needed to recognize each other’s expectations.
At some intersections, as we were driving since we took a road trip for honeymoon, I would sometimes make a comment as to which way to turn not knowing that this was a very sensitive issue for Jim. To him it was me telling him what to do. To me I was just being part of the conversation. We needed to learn a bit more about each other and trigger points or hot buttons.

There issues we didn’t know about each other, like, I have PTSD which has some interesting effects on trust, intimacy, and sensitivity. Then one I can think of that Jim had a problem with was anger and I’m not sure he ever knew he had a problem until he met the irritating, aggravating, Illogical aspects of me.

I was pregnant from summer of 81 to May of 88, and we have gotten to realize in our old age just how much those hormones mess with the personality and common sense of the woman who is pregnant. I would say things that would irritate Jim and I could not figure out why. But thanks to some experience with others who have been pregnant who have said things that have hurt me, I now understand that I was hard to live with!

Add into that 5 children between ‘82 and ‘88, which also included 2 miscarriages, I was either pregnant, nursing or recovering from pregnancy for those 6 years. We did the night time feeding issues, the babies that screamed all night issues, the diapers, sicknesses, and protecting them from themselves issues constantly for 6 years. If I actually want to be correct, it would be 7 years to include our youngest’s whole 1st year. At the end of that year, in April or May of 89, I had a complete hysterectomy throwing more of my hormones completely out the window.

I’m not gonna continue on about the different hormones and when my memories came back from the abuse as a child or anything else because I’ve laid out the story well enough to give you an idea of the stress were in . Oh, of course, money was tight so I needed to grow our own food as much as possible and stretch the penny as hard as it would stretch.

Here’s where I’m going with this.
There are several types of counseling that I got it this time.

There were those that recommended I leave Jim and divorce him because of his anger. But they did not take into consideration my issues and I was aware enough of my issues that I knew it was not an imbalanced issue that caused friction in our marriage. And, in my mind set, I was pretty sure that anything that was going wrong in our marriage was all my fault. I was trying to find ways to just stay married but there were those that felt that I needed to leave him now. I guess it was my own self opinion that kept me from doing this.

There were those that said that I should just be silent and not say anything to Jim and only reply “yes sir” “no sir” to anything that he had to say.

I was also told that if there is any trouble in a marriage it is the woman’s fault.

I was also given counseling on the appropriate method of submission to my husband, and to only speak positive things and to never groan or complain in front of anyone. This one was the closest to right, in that this one kept his perceived character flaws out of the public eye and encouraged me to love from My love of Christ, and the love Christ to placed to my heart. But this backfired. In fact when I tried to talk to an older woman from church, just ask for counsel about how to interact with Jim, she looked at me in the face and said “I thought you said your husband was perfect! So, the problem must be you!”

After separations, hours and hours and hours of counseling, and some high intensity conversations, this older woman(me) has come up with a couple things that would have really helped me when we began. I haven’t yet written up some of the latest but here are 2 that I have shared in the last few years:

This one is to aid communication
Marriage Tools 1

This one helps get your heart focus in the right place:
Marriage Tools 2

This other post just summarizes everything I’ve said and points to love.

I was given a way for me to visually express my desire to love my husband: But I only have it on Shutterfly.

But I gave Jim all sorts of tangible evidences of me loving him and I photographed them and put them in a book because we were moving into a trailer and didn’t want all the clutter of the physical items.

These are ways that I, as an old woman, am trying to teach younger women. to love their husbands without being shackled, without being belittled or talked down to.

1st Timothy 2:9 through 15 talks about women.
After I first got married, I did a deep study in The Bible about what a woman should be, including Proverbs 31.
I have no idea where that study is, but I wanted to find out how to be a godly wife and eventually how to be a godly mother.

I find it interesting that the things older women are supposed to teach the younger women are

  • to be sober,
  • love their husbands,
  • love their children,
  • to be discreet,
  • chaste,
  • keepers at home,
  • good,
  • obedient to their own husbands and that the word of God not be blasphemed.

The reason you need to teach something to someone is because it doesn’t come naturally.
Today, some of these words have very negative meanings.
Someday I may go through and discuss how they are not so negative, but today is not That Day.

YOUNG MEN
Titus 2 verse 6,7,8

  • Sober minded,
  • pattern of good works,
  • doctrine is sound,
  • they can’t be condemned by their speech and
  • enemies have nothing evil to say that could be believed.

While this is listed for young men to be taught, I’m thinking that young women could be taught to have a pattern of good works, to have uncorrupt doctrine, to be sincere, and that their speech is such that they can never be questioned as well.

The speech thing reminds me of the verse about the prophet whose words never fell to the ground.
1 Samuel 3:19

What a lovely thought! What a glorious thing to be said about someone! If one were to do a topical study in the Bible about the importance of the tongue, it would be intense!  Off the top of my head I’m thinking about the verse life-and-death is in the power of the tongue.
Proverbs 18:21 

SLAVES – SERVANTS – EMPLOYEES

Titus 2:9-10
Obedience.
Young women are told to obey their own husbands, and servants are told to

  • obey their own masters.
  • Please them well in all things
  • Answer not again

There are cultural aspects to this, but there is also truth.
There are positions of authority in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus was under the authority of God the Father while he walked the earth, and He said so. And yet, Jesus is fully God. Both God the Father and God the Son highly honor God the Holy Spirit.

If we look at the Godhead, the triune nature of God, and we remember that in Genesis we were created in the likeness of God we can get a hint as to what this obedience means.

A difficulty in the world today that causes us problems with this is the CEO’s of large corporations making so much money when the ones lowest on the totem pole have to have food stamps to make ends meet. Employees and employer issues. Monarchs and paupers.

Many monarchies in history were completely out of touch and many still maybe out of touch with the plight of the common man. King and subjects

Let’s look at this again:

One of the concepts of obedience in the Christian faith is similar to obedience of a child to their father. A child’s father should love and care for the child while honoring their own personality and allowing them to explore things within a safely constructed environment.

Adam-and-Eve in the garden is a great example. They were given this beautiful garden and could do whatever they want and eat whatever they wanted except for one tree.

The Bible says that Jesus learned wisdom and obedience by the sufferings that he went through as a child, which was probably the training of Joseph and Mary as his parents.

Adam-and-Eve decided to eat of the one and only tree out of only God knows how many and disobey.
One day, Jesus didn’t stay with the family but stayed back at the temple discussing things with the priests and scribes. Obviously that was outside of the boundaries his parents had given.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Jesus sinned, I’m saying that his parents had to bring him back into the boundaries of the environment with which they were protecting him.

Adam-and-Eve did sin, because they went directly against what God had said, and then they were kicked out of the beautiful environment that was the garden, and now we all suffer the consequences.

When a child is told not to touch the hot burner on the stove, and they reach up and touch the hot burner, most parents allow the burn to be the punishment.
a wise teaches that to disobey what has been laid down can bring negative consequences.

The husband is supposed to provide the protection and the wisdom to have a godly household, a safe household, in order for the wife to excel in the giftings that God has given her to provide a peaceful household and a nourishing household.
Can a man run a household? Yes. But men don’t normally have the nurturing gifting that a woman has.
Can a woman provide for a household? Yes. But a woman isn’t naturally the detached overseer.
And then there’s the whole thing about children, they just don’t have the knowledge or the experience. They need to trust their parents to provide them with safe boundaries so that they can explore and have a safe place to process that exploration. When the parents do not provide this guidance, that’s when we have many different and difficult issues with our children.

In our world today we have many men raising families on their own and many women raising families on their own and children that are tossed around because their parents have not become responsible for them. This was not God’s plan

Just like any corporation, someone needs to be in charge to make decisions. Someone needs to advocate for the workers and create a space conducive for growth. And you need workers.

A corporation without a head will flounder because it can’t move forward. Without the human resources personnel to stand in the gap between their CEO and the workers, many abuses end up happening. Unless the business is a one person creativity business, it needs the workers to get the work done.

Obedience isn’t about blind submission and eliminating self identity. The biblical concept of obedience is that it is an act of love, respect, and honor out of gratitude for what God has done in our lives. It is also like the son who wants to be like his father or the daughter who plays imitating her mother.
And obedience is a choice.

Someday I’ll write something about submission and obedience. They are so misused to abuse others. There are many other scriptures that talk about the responsibility of those in positions of authority to humble themselves and care for those that are under their authority as their own flesh.
The church is supposed to submit one to another and to consider others more highly than themselves.

If we take The Bible as a whole, we cannot read it the way it has been used and abused for many years.

Moses was described as a friend of God, there are several times that we have it in writing that he answered God as in answering again or questioned God! If the verse saying not to answer again to our employers for our masters as a has been applied, then Moses was out of line.

David knew he wasn’t supposed to mess around with another man’s wife, no one needed to tell him about it, and he messed around with Bathsheba.
When the Lord told him that the child would die, he cried out for God to change his mind. That seems like answering again!

Elijah argued with God about what God sent him to eat.

Peter argued with God about what God showed him to eat.

So again, we can see that there’s something different here.

Then there is something about being called be the leader of the family.
When Zachariah was told by the angel that Elizabeth would have a child, he argued and was struck “dumb”

And yet when Mary was told she was gonna have a baby without having known a man, she actually questioned the angel and wasn’t struck dumb.

That tells me there’s a right way to question authority and a wrong way.

All of that was to say I’m never going to preach obedience as an aspect of salvation or submission equaling that of of doormat that can be stomped all over without any individuality and mental acuity on behalf of the woman.

The next section of chapter 2 is really the why and I think it needs its own discussion. Please join me!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Titus 1:6-9 Ambassadors

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Itty Bitty Bible Study Titus 1:6-9
I utilize various resources to research and study these Itty Bitty Bible Studies.
This time, for Titus, I hooked up with Keith Loy’s Celebrate Titus on RightNow Media.  RightNow Media is a subscription for everyone in a church. 
If you don’t have RightNow Media on your computer or TV streaming channels, the  Celebrate Titus dvd is available. I don’t know if it’s more or less information.

I am not an Amazon associate, so I don’t get anything out of sharing this! I will let you know that I will be quoting him!

 

Now, it’s about Qualifications for Leadership.  Here’s some quotes from Keith Loy.

“Leadership is not a title to be earned, but a towel to be held.”

“Influence and Impact another is leadership”

“Godliness(Christlikeness) is all about public witness (Influence)”

“Reputation precedes effectiveness” – Joseph Hall?

“How one lives has everything to do with how one leads”

“Does my walk talk and does my talk walk?”

What is the point of all of these? As Christ like followers, we are Ambassadors to this world.

“You may be the only Jesus anyone ever meets” – unknown

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 King James Version (KJV)
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

Got Questions has a very nice explanation of what does it mean to be an ambassador of Christ.

From this article, they say it much better than I could even try!

Christians are God’s ambassadors in that they have been “approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). As we go through this world, we represent another Kingdom (John 18:36), and it is our responsibility to reflect the “official position” of heaven. We are in this world, but not of it (John 17:16). God’s ambassadors are to be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we must take the message of our King to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8), imploring men and women everywhere to be reconciled to God.

This is not easy to accept.
I’d like to put all the responsibility of being an ambassador on the Elders and Bishops, as are listed here in Titus and in Timothy.
The problem is, Jesus didn’t just preach the sermon on the mount to the 12 disciples.
Another problem is, we are all to be trees that produce fruit(by Jesus’ words) and we know the fruit is in Galations.
Another problem is Paul’s excellent writing on Love…in 1 Corinthians 13. He’s not just talking to the Bishops and the elders.
If that’s not enough…Christ commanded several things:

Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus said Go YE…as in ME.
If I want to claim “and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” I have to claim the calling as well.

1 Peter 4:10 King James Version (KJV)
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

We’ve all been given a gift…and as we have, we are to minister to one another…and that is the evidence of us being good stewards of the grace of God!

another reason for maintaining the character and reputation as listed here is

1 Timothy 3:7 King James Version (KJV)
7 Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

How many have fallen snare to the enemy, and lost their witness? Their church? Their families? Some, even their lives?

Can we agree that if we love the Lord Jesus, that we will want to be a good example of Him to others?
Can we agree that the combined commandment from Jesus is to Love God and Love others?

Ephesians 4:15 King James Version (KJV)
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

I have been gravely convicted of my lack of qualities as an ambassador of Christ…and yet, I am greatly comforted by the fact that in any way that I sin, I have the promise of an advocate for me with the Father (1 John).

I haven’t listed Titus 1:6-9 here yet.
I’ve tried to cross reference it with The Fruit of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 13, and the Beatitudes.

Titus 1:6-9Bishop QualificationsCross Reference
Fruit of the SpiritLove ChapterBeatitudesBishopOthers
Gal 5:22-23I Cor 13:4-7Matt 5:3-10Titus 1:6-9
LoveLovefaithful to one wife1 Tim 3:2-4
JoyRejoices in the truthNeh 8:10
John 15:11, 16:24,33
Psalm 16:11
PeacePeacemakerNot violentJohn 14:27
1 Tim 3:3
Prov 28?7, Phil 4:7
PatiencePatientNot angry
Not irritable
1 Tim 3:3
2 Tim 2:24
Prov 14:17, 15:18
KindnessKindMercifulHospitality1 Tim 3:2
GoodnessPure in heartsBlameless
Holy
1 Tim 3:2 & 7
GentlenessNot rude2 Tim 2:24
Self ControlEndures all thingsMeekNot drunkard
Not violent
Not angry
1 Tim 3:2-3
2 Tim 2:25
Eph 5:18, Lev 10:9
FaithfulnessBears all things
Believes all things
Hopes all things
PersecutedLive wisely
Devout
Just
Pro 31:4-5
Not arrogantPoor in Spirit
Mourn
2 Tim 2:24-25
1 Tim 3:6
Not greedy1 Tim 3:3-7
2019(c) MCWildman and The WildBerry Patch

Here is a pdf of a Google doc of the qualifications of bishop.

Here’s a very clumsily hand written one:Bishop Qualifications Cross Reference

All of this is to try to give you an overview of the various qualities written in Titus for the Bishop, and how they actually are the qualities that Christ expects of us as an ambassador.

I hope this gives you the same eye opening understanding about the qualifications of a Bishop…we are all ministers to the gospel. I had hoped to get away from this, as there is that qualification – husband of one wife…I am never going to be a husband! Titus 2 will bring that home!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Titus Introduction

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)
Itty Bitty Bible Study Titus one

I utilize various resources to research and study these itty bitty Bible studies.
This time, for Titus, I hooked up with Keith Loy’s Celebrate Titus on RightNow Media.  RightNow Media is a subscription for everyone in a church.  If you don’t have RightNow Media on your computer or TV streaming channels, the dvd is available. I don’t know if it’s more or less information.

I am not an Amazon associate, so I don’t get anything out of sharing this! I will let you know that I will be quoting him!

From Wikipedia

Not mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, Saint Titus was noted in Galatians (cf. Gal. 2:1, 3) where Paul wrote of journeying to Jerusalem with Barnabas, accompanied by Titus. He was then dispatched to Corinth, Greece, where he successfully reconciled the Christian community there with Paul, its founder. Titus was later left on the island of Crete to help organize the Church, and later met back with the Apostle Paul in Nicopolis. He soon went to Dalmatia (now Croatia). According to Eusebius of Caesarea in the Ecclesiastical History, he served as the first bishop of Crete and remained there in his old years.[citation needed] He was buried in Cortyna (Gortyna), Crete; his head was later removed to Venice during the invasion of Crete by the Saracens in 832 and was enshrined in St Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy.[cit

That gives a good basic understanding of who, when and where Titus was.

Bible.org has another great introduction to Titus, explaining that this goes hand in hand with 1 & 2 Timothy as the Pastoral Letters.

Titus 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Greeting
1 Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to build up[a] the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads[b] to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. 3 In His own time He has revealed His message in the proclamation that I was entrusted with by the command of God our Savior:

In IBBS Galations 1:1-10, I discuss Paul describing his calling.

Galatians 1
1 Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by a man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—

In the old days (hahaha), folks put their authorship at the beginning of letters. It’s kind of like a return address.

In Ephesians 1:1 he just declares himself an apostle, by the will of God. (IBBS Ephesians Intro)

Ephesians 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:

In IBBS Philippians 1:1-2, we discussed the aspect of Paul describing his walk as a servant.

Phillipians 1
1 Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers[b] and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Servants – websters – one that serves others a public servant; especially : one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer of Christ Jesus – the point of servant is that it has a master…and they declare who their master is, Whom they serve, right up front!

In Galatians, for whatever reason at the time, Paul really spent a lot of the letter talking about WHY he was actually an apostle.
IBBS Galatians 1:11-24 & 2:1-10 covers that explanation.

Let’s break down the first verse.

Titus 1:1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Greeting
1 Paul,
a slave of God and
an apostle of Jesus Christ,
to build up[a] the faith of God’s elect and
their knowledge of the truth
that leads[b] to godliness,

Who? Paul. The one who was Saul, the leader of those that persecuted Christians. You can read about that in Acts 9.

What? Slave of God.

Definition of slave (Entry 1 of 4)
1 : a person held in servitude as the chattel of another
2 : one that is completely subservient to a dominating influence

This term was so despised in Paul’s time, that it was like shock and awe for him to use it. Of course, it does hearken back to Christ at the last supper in John 13.

Remember, Peter was offended that his Lord and Savior would do a servant’s work! Jesus had a different view:

John 13:12-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
The Meaning of Footwashing
12 When Jesus had washed their feet and put on His robe, He reclined[a] again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord. This is well said, for I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example that you also should do just as I have done for you.
16 “I assure you: A slave is not greater than his master,[b] and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

In Romans, Paul gives another explanation:

Romans 12:3 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Many Gifts but One Body
3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one.

We are all called to be slaves to Christ.
In IBBS Ephesians 2:20-22 part one and Part two we talked about how we are slaves.

The truth is, we are slaves.
BUT WE GET TO CHOOSE TO WHOM!!!

What, part two – apostle of Jesus Christ.

Definition of apostle
1 : one sent on a mission: such as
a : one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ’s 12 original disciples and Paul

An apostle is a specific ministry position in the Christian Church.
There are almost as many beliefs about what, who and when an apostle is as there are church buildings!
In one church we attended it was taught as the ‘fivefold ministry’.
Oddly enough, Wikipedia has an entry on this! It’s really very good for an overview without bias.

Paul wrote about these offices in Ephesians 4.

Ephesians 4:11-13 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
11 And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, 12 for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.

That ties the What and the Why together!
WHY?

to build up the faith of God’s elect and
their knowledge of the truth
that leads to godliness,

That sounds like

build up the body of Christ
unity in the faith,
knowledge of God’s son
growing into a mature man
with stature measured by Christ’s fullness

Oh my.
The purposes for the ministry could very well apply to you and me.
While I am not called to be an apostle, pastor, or what else…I do teach. Do you?
Do you ever share your testimony?
Do you ever lead a bible study?
Or even host a table in a larger group for bible study?
Ok, here’s one…do you ever share a Bible meme on facebook?
You preach…teach…and your light is your ministry!

Aren’t we all called to help each other grow into the fullness of Christ?
1 Corinthians 12 says yes.
Ok, yes, another letter by Paul.

Did Jesus ever ask us to share with each other?

Matthew 5:13-16 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Believers Are Salt and Light
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket,[a] but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine[b] before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

I said in IBBS Ephesians Introduction:

I have often had difficulty wondering if the letters written to those people were actually applicable to me.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Romans 15:4
4 For everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures, we might have hope.

And with that…my difficulties disappeared! Granted, again, these two verses are again, written by Paul.
I do think that Jesus’ words make it very clear that we are expected to be Jesus on the earth, to share Jesus’ love, joy, and light and to help each other to grow into the fullness of Christ. I just can’t see how we can get out of having to live up to our calling!
Remember 1 Corinthians 12, with Christ’s words about salt and light.

worship Break!

With that in mind…I’ll move on with Titus, as it applies to US!

coming up:

But first, we’ll finish with Paul’s purpose for the letter, and Titus…who was he?
And then, the beautiful prayer he prays so often….

Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Advent 2015 – Day 4

Advent 2015, day 4, Wednesday after 1st Sunday of Advent.
If using an Advent Log or candles, light the 4th candle.

Fourth Candle

Fourth Candle

New this year is a Facebook group Advent at the WildBerry Patch, where we can discuss ideas, recipes and photos of our advent preparations!

From our original Advent Devotional:

What! Are We Waiting? (light the fourth candle)
“What! – are we waiting!?”
Yes, we’re waiting.
“But I just can’t wait….!”
Oh no? Why not? What makes waiting for anything – or anyone – hard to do? Why are we so impatient?
Think about some of the instant things we enjoy: instant Kool-Aid, instant coffee, instant touch-tone “dialing,” instant …(make your own list).
What are some things for which we must wait, besides Christmas? (Make your own list…) Are any of those things worth waiting for? Why or why not?

In 2022, I heard an Advent Hymn that I’d never heard before – People Look East.
Here’s the People Look East Lyrics!

For many years, I worked with a devotional called “Celebrate While We Wait” for Advent. We wanted to clearly move away from Santa, which we did not agree with, towards celebrating the gift of Christ, and remembrances. Advent means to wait.

400 years between the Old and New Testament.
40 years wandering in the Wilderness of sin before entering into the promised land.
40 months – I need something for this one.
40 weeks – for a mother to give birth to a child, such as Mary.
40 days – Jesus fasting in the Wilderness, Noah waiting for the rain to stop.
And Daniel prayed.
And Moses was on the back side of a mountain.
so many people in the Bible were waiting – not for some temporal gift wrapped in a tree killing, un-recyclable paper and bow – but for God to move on their behalf.

Here are some of the Arch books that we read about people waiting.

 

Since the day that Adam and Eve spoke with God in the garden about their sin, God promised them a savior.
God promised Abraham a savior.
God promised Israel a savior.
God promises us a savior.
Here’s the book we unwrapped to read about this concept.

Christ-mass is so much more than a baby in the manger – and the baby in a manger is such a series of miracle stories in itself. There was only one reason for the birth of the Christ Child…but that’s not my remembrance today.

Waiting takes patience.
Patience is a virtue.

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE….
Love is PATIENT and kind….

Patience – this is not something that comes easy for me…or for many folks.

But, waiting IS the precursor to seeing.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for (as in, waiting for), the evidence of things not seen(things that aren’t here yet).(Hebrews 11:6)

Anna and Simon waited for the arrival of the savior…many years in the temple. They were both patient.

The ornament for this day is a Noah’s ark I found.

Noah's Ark

Noah’s Ark

The song I sing for remembering to wait is:

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings as eagles
they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint,
teach me Lord, teach me Lord to wait.

This happens to be a song version of my life verse, Isaiah 40:31, and a promise I was given in 1978. It’s 2015, and I’m still waiting to see the full manifestation of this promise. Every time I doubt – I hear this song in my head, and my only choice is to deny my faith that God spoke His word (and healed them), and His word is alive, to to ask forgiveness for my lack of faith. Like the father in the gospels, I say, “Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief!”. Though my heart fails me, the Lord is the strength of my heart, and He always brings me through.

I waited patiently for the Lord; He …heard my cry. (Psalm 40:1)

Make me to know Your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

The Lord is the everlasting God…He does not faint or grow weary…They who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28,31)

Lord, continue to help me with patience.
Continue to encourage my faith to grow, and also to grant me the grace when my faith stumbles as I wait to see the manifestation of any of your promises.
Help me to be patient with others, as you are patient with me.
Amen

More Advent Devotions

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

M. Christine Wildman“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

Copyrights and Legal-eze
There are many organizations that support children and families. Here are ones that we are blessed to be a part of. Please consider sponsoring a child – the life you change could be your own.

Itty Bitty Bible Study – Habakkuk Introduction

My thoughts for the Itty Bitty Bible Study group on Facebook. (join if you’d like to get these in fb!)

Habakkuk 1

Wikipedea on Habakkuk

International Bible Society introduction to Habakkuk

The introduction in summary is that this is a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and Yahweh, Jehovah, YHWH, or The God of creation. For simplification, I’m going to just say “God”.

My first thoughts are that this is an amazing book from the Old Testament.
The basic concept of the OT is that God was not approachable.

The Bible does not bear that thought out.

  • Adam and Eve Talked with God.
  • Job talked with God.
  • Abraham talked with God.
  • Moses talked with God.
  • Samuel talked with God.
  • David talked with God.
  • Daniel talked with God.
  • the whole concept of the prophets, both major and minor was that the all spoke with God!

And I’m not including those that HEARD from God!

The interesting thing here is that even though there was a separation because of sin, if the person had performed the proper sacrifices and had a heart towards knowing Father God, they were in communication.

Hebrews 11 talks about many in the Old Testament who, by faith, believed in God the Father, and in His promises.

Psalm 102:25-28 King James Version (KJV)
25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:
27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.
28 The children of thy servants shall continue, and their seed shall be established before thee.

Hebrews 13:8 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

To me, the beauty is that the same God that created the beautiful garden for ‘man’ to enjoy,

    • is the same God that continues to love us enough to discipline us,
    • is the same God who will guide us in the way in which we should go,
    • is the same God that planned for our salvation, and gave himself for us.

This God loved us so much from before the time we were born, that HE planned our salvation so that we could enter into HIS presence with thanksgiving!
And, this God is big enough for us to ask Him the hard questions…which is what Habakkuk does.

The other theme that I see is that of why do the wicked prosper?
Why does God allow pain and suffering? We’ll get into that!

If you do a search for timeline of the prophets, there are many options out there!

Nahum is mostly considered Habakkuk’s contemporary.
IBBS Nahum 1:2b and IBBS Nahum 1:2-15 discusses why some bad things happen.

Obadiah is earlier, or later, depending on what timeline, but still gives us insight.
IBBS Obadiah 1:1-9 and IBBS Obadiah 1:10-21 discuss the seriousness of a nation’s sin.

Habakkuk 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
1 The oracle that Habakkuk the prophet saw.

Habakkuk’s First Prayer
2 How long, Lord, must I call for help
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
3 Why do You force me to look at injustice?
Why do You tolerate[a] wrongdoing?
Oppression and violence are right in front of me.
Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates.
4 This is why the law is ineffective
and justice never emerges.
For the wicked restrict the righteous;
therefore, justice comes out perverted.

Total transparency…here’s my How Long Jesus cry!

Habakkuk is wondering about the current affairs of his world.

Here’s another timeline from RevDr Brian. His site comes with the warning…THE WORDS OF A VERY MINOR PROPHET May contain coarse language and some nudity… so, if you go looking around other than this image, be forewarned. I haven’t checke out the site…though I greatly appreciate this image!

The other thing that these timelines show is that our bible is not set up chronologically!

Did anyone else not know that the Prophet books are out of order?
I didn’t realize it until I started doing these more in depth studies rather than just reading the books. As I’ve been looking into the current events of the writers, it’s been very interesting that things are not in order! This is very disturbing to my OCD mind!

For the record – Bible verses Chronology – taken from the Bible table of contents and the two images I’ve provided, Bible Contents is the first one.

  1. Hosea ……Amos……Obadiah
  2. Joel ……….Joel……….Joel
  3. Amos…….Hosea……..Jonah
  4. Obadiah….Jonah……Amos
  5. Jonah…….Micah…….Hosea
  6. Micah……Nahum……..Micah
  7. Nahum….Zephaniah….Nahum
  8. Habak…..Habakkuk….Zephaniah
  9. Zeph…….Obadiah…….Habakkuk
  10. Haggai
  11. Zechariah
  12. Malachi.

The Bible and the image that includes these agree with the last three.
Poor Obadiah…he’s in three different spaces!
For the most part, they agree on the timing of Habakkuk…and what’s going on at that time.

Do you ever wonder if there is any way to really know if the information that you are finding is true? I mean, the historical information, the timeline, the Arabic, Hebrew and Greek words?
I do.
Sometimes, I just feel very dumb, when it comes to bible study, when I listen to some preachers.
Sometimes, I just feel very stupid when it comes to those word studies, and all that interesting current events information that some folks provide.
Here’s how I deal with it.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God
and is profitable for teaching,
for rebuking,
for correcting,
for training in righteousness,
17 so that the man of God may be complete,
equipped for every good work.

Here’s my favorite version(remember, for copyright purposes, I have to include the footnotes and such):

2 Timothy 3:16-17 Amplified Bible (AMP)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed [given by divine inspiration]
and is profitable for instruction,
for conviction [of sin],
for correction [of error and restoration to obedience],
for training in righteousness [learning to live in conformity to God’s will,
both publicly and privately—behaving honorably with personal integrity and moral courage];
17 so that the [a]man of God may be complete and proficient, outfitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Footnotes:
2 Timothy 3:17 I.e. all believers whether man, woman, or child.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.

Notice this doesn’t say anything about the history, the timelines, the extra-biblical books or word studies?
If God was so concerned about us knowing that, he would have made sure that we had a timeline included in our bibles…and I don’t mean the ones that are after Revelation!
If God was so concerned about us knowing the word meanings, he would have made sure that the Bible was written in other languages…Oh wait! He did and He has!

If God is so capable of making sure that His word to us has been preserved against all odds of people and enemies trying to rid it…I think he’s capable of making sure that everyone can understand enough to be applicable.

Salvation and reconciliation with God is the main point for the Bible.
John 3:16 is pretty understandable in any version.
The 10 commandments are pretty clear in any language.
The sermon on the mount is pretty convicting in any version.
Ephesians 5:22-23 and 1 Corinthians 13 are great examples of life goals in any language.

What is my point?

I want to focus on what’s important.
Well, for housekeeping purposes, I mostly use Holman here because of their copyright permissions for when I publish these for ebook purposes. The others are very clear that only 20% of the writing can be their passage, or you start paying royalties. that could be why so many bible study books have a lot of opinion verses a lot of Bible. It’s the legality.
Why not KJV?
I love KJV, but as others around the world start to read, KJV is not public domain in the UK…the Queen owns it.
And, there are those that have difficulty with KJV, for reading.

I am just saying that there are so many things that we can argue about when it comes to Bible study.
Version.
Timeline.
What the latest speaker has said the bible says.

Here’s my point.
Read the bible.
Don’t take my word for it.
Ask The Holy spirit to guide your reading, and give you what YOU need from YOUR relationship with Jesus Christ.
I believe that God is big enough to speak to each of us, personally.
And I believe that God is big enough to hear us cry out, in pain, in frustration, in fear, in need of the Creator God to speak into our lives.

That is Habakkuk.
That is ME!
This is GOD!
He will speak to us!

Here are a few articles about hearing God’s voice:
The voice of God
Jesus is calling

Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

Hi!
My hope in the midst of despair and my joy in the face of depression is because of my relationship with Jesus Christ. If you do not have one, or are not sure you will join him in heaven, please check out these links.

Thanks for joining me in this journey,
In His hands and under His wings,

~Christi
Ps 63:7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

“The Lord does not give me rules, but He makes His standard very clear.
If my relationship to Him is that of love, I will do what He says without hesitation.
If I hesitate, it is because I love someone I have placed in competition with Him, namely, myself.” –
from My Utmost for His highest

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